Tech Industry Luncheon - Nov 16

Bringing university-industry research to the enterprise

Speakers:  Dr. Joseph Pancrazio, VP of research, UT Dallas
                   Pete Poorman, director of corporate relations, UT Dallas
                   Rahul Saini, director of micro and biosystems, Zyvex Labs
                   Shawn Wiora, co-founder and board of directors member, MyndVR
                   John Buttles, owner, Bailey Tool and Manufacturing

Through a series of presentations and discussions, the exciting story will be told of how university-industry collaboration satisfies the mission and objective of both the university and the company engaged in the research.  Find out how Zyvex Labs, MyndVR, and Bailey Tool and Manufacturing utilized the vast research tools at UT Dallas to expand their company and bring important research to the enterprise.

Dr. Joe Pancrazio earned his bachelor's in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and his master's and doctorate in biomedical engineering from the University of Virginia.  He completed postdoctoral training in pharmacology in the Department of Anesthesiology at Virginia and served as an assistant professor of research there with a joint appointment in the Departments of Anesthesiology and Biomedical Engineering.  He also was an assistant professor in Georgetown University's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, working at the Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C.  From 2004 to 2009, he was program director for the neural engineering and neural prosthesis program at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the NIH.  
Before joining the faculty of the Jonsson School at UT Dallas in 2015, he was professor and founding chair of the Department of Bioengineering at George Mason University.  Prior to that, he was a professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of the bioengineering program at the university's Volgenau School of Engineering.  In 2011, he was elected to the College of Fellows in the Americian Instutute for Medical and Biological Engineering.  Since 2012, he has served as the chair of the steering committee for Neural Interfaces Conference, an international meeting central to the neurotechnology field.  In June 2018, he was named the vice president of research for UT Dallas.  

Rahul Saini is the Director of Microsystems & Biosystems at Zyvex Labs and founding member of Teliatry, Inc.  He is the System Architect for multiple active implantable devices including NR600 for which he won the Tech Titans Technology Inventor award for innovating the most complicated and advanced implant ever made to restore vision for blind patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) and Advanced Macular Degenereation (AMD).  He has also developed a modular periphery nerve implant for treatment of Multiple Sclerosis, PTSD, Tinnitus, and Spinal Cord injury patients.  Besides developing neuromodulation solutions, he has also invented some of the smallest ion and electron optic columns in the world for imaging and diagnostics.  He has been Principal Investigator on Defense Advanced Research Program Agency and BIRD foundation projects.  He has been awarded more than 20 US and international patents and has more than 30 peer reviewed publications.  Besides managing all lifescience efforts at Zyvex Labs, he is also the Microsystems Director at Nanoretina Inc. and has been an adjunct Professor with the Department of Electrical Engineering at UT Arlington.

Shawn Wiora is a senior executive in cyber security, cyber insurance, blockchain, cryptocurrencies, turnaround expertise, healthcare system technology leadership, and innovative healthcare virtual reality solutions.  Recent work in blending blockchain with cyber risk quantification leading the industry.  As turnaround executive excelled at roles of COO, CIO, and CISO.  Internationally recognized as Cloud, Cyber Security, and Virtual Reality Visionary.  Keynote presenter on diverse set of topics.  He is frequently interviewed and carried in national / international media for technology articles in Wall Street Journal, CIO.com, CNNMoney, ZDNet, TechTarget, and many other media outlets.  Has unique combination of IT, healthcare, and business achievements with related degrees and advanced accomplishments.  Industry expert and frequent conference speaker for GDPR, HIPAA, PCI, NIST, HITECH, InfoSec, and SOX.  Likes to analyze business goals and then build compelling environments enabling employees to achieve.  Has delivered tremendous turnaround success based on a quantitative approach to EBITA achievement.  Domestic and international experience with wide-reaching approaches for leadership.  

Pete Poorman is Director of Corporate Relations for the school of engineering and computer science at the University of Texas at Dallas.  He is responsible for connecting companies with the resources and research capabilities of the university.  Pete holds a BS in Computer Science from UT Dallas.  He has volunteered with Tech Titans since 1999, serving on and chairing multiple committees.  Pete joined the university in 2013 from the computer industry, where he held marketing and product management roles in companies ranging from technology startups to the very largest firms.





John Buttles, President of Bailey Tool & Mfg. - At Bailey Tool, John is changing the way Bailey provides satisfaction to customers.  Rather than build-to-print, we look for significant problems in need of solutions where our particular work skills can make a difference.  We extend our own skills and enhance our impact by engaging with expert communities that helps us have an impact and solve prolems that matter.  We seek to build satisfaction in our relationship by engaging in frontier conversations whose outcome is yet in doubt.  John graduated with a BFA from Rochester Inst. of Tech and MS in an engineering discipline from Illinois State University.



Registration Policy: