2027 TechConnect World Innovation Conference and Expo

2027 TechConnect World Innovation Conference and Expo takes place on 23–24 March 2027 at Hynes Convention Center, Boston. It is organised by TechConnect, and B2DB lists 159 speakers and 73 sessions announced so far.

The TechConnect World Innovation Conference and Expo connects applied research and early-stage innovations from universities, labs and startups with industry end users and technology scouts. The conference includes the annual SBIR/STTR Innovation Conference and more than 30 technical symposia, and the 2027 edition takes place in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 23-25, 2027.

Key facts

Keynote speakers

• David Ginger Professor, University of Washington
• Guillermo Ameer Professor, Northwestern University
• Mircea Dincă Professor, Princeton University

Speakers (159)

Compiled from the published agenda; speakers can claim and verify their own entry.

• Ed Jameson Managing Partner, Jameson & Company
• Jerry Hollister Senior Principal Consultant, BBC Entrepreneurial Training and Consulting
• Abolfazi Mohebbi CTO, Moxietec
• Abraham Joy Professor and Chair, Northeastern University
• Adam Hopkins CEO and Founder, Sensetics
• Alan Lyons Professor, College of Staten Island and Graduate Center
• Alex Cartagena-Rivera Stadtman Investigator, NIH
• Alon Gorodetsky Associate Professor, University of California, Irvine
• Angela Maria Fasnacht COO, Princeton Critical Minerals
• Avinash Manjula-Basavanna Senior Research Scientist, Northeastern University
• Bart Machielse CTO, IonQ
• Beckett Colson Research Engineer, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• Bede Pittenger Senior Applications Scientist, Bruker
• David Ginger Professor, University of Washington
• David Pospíšil Department Head, Spur, Czech Republic
• Debra Auguste Professor, Northeastern University
• Diana Ortiz-Montalvo Research Chemist, NIST
• Dmitry Kireev Assistant Professor, UMass Amherst
• Donhee Ham Professor, Harvard University
• Greg Simms Technical Collaborations Manager, University of Maine
• Guillermo Ameer Professor, Northwestern University
• Hans Gunstheimer Application Scientist, Nanosurf
• Hyunwoo Yuk Founder and CTO, Sanaheal
• Igor Sokolov Professor, Tufts University
• Jeff McCutcheon Professor, University of Connecticut
• Jenifer Shafer Professor, Colorado School of Mines
• Jiayu Peng Assistant Professor, University of Buffalo
• Josh Agar Co-founder and CTO, Dataerai
• Manish Rane Associate Director, Evonik
• Marie Perrin CEO, REEcover
• Matthew Rosenberger Assistant Professor, University of Notre Dame
• Melik Demirel Professor, Penn State University
• Mircea Dincă Professor, Princeton University
• Nicholas Siemons Software and Battery Research Lead, STEER, Stanford University
• Nicolas Woolstenhulme Irradiation Testing Scientist, Idaho National Laboratory
• Ognjen Ilic Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
• Orlando Coronell Distinguished Professor, UNC Chapel Hill
• Patrick Guide Senior Market Development Manager, Dow
• Pierre Gourmelon COO, Jacobi Motors
• Prabhpreet Gill New Ventures and Licensing Associate, Princeton University
• Qingguo (Jack) Huang Professor, University of Georgia
• Reed Sturtevant General Partner, Engine Ventures
• Rick Passey Senior Manager, Thermo Fisher Scientific
• Robert Ashcraft Investment Director, Samsung Ventures
• Roger Proksch CTO, Oxford Instruments
• Ross Johnson Principal Scientist, Qnity Electronics
• Sabine Neumayer R&D Staff Scientist, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• Sam Pasmann Senior Computational Nuclear Scientist, Thea Energy
• Sameer Sonkusale Professor, Tufts University
• Saptarshi Das Associate Professor, Penn State University
• Selim Olcum Co-founder & VP of Engineering, Travera
• Selma Mededovic Professor, Clarkson University
• Sesilja Aranko Assistant Professor, Aalto University
• Sherif Soliman Founder and CEO, Matregenix
• Srikanth Pilla Professor and Associate Dean for Research, University of Delaware
• Stephanie Diem Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Steven Spurgeon Senior Materials Data Scientist, National Laboratory of the Rockies
• Suping Lyu Bakken Fellow, Medtronic
• Svetlana Boriskina Director, META lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Teja Guda Professor, University of Texas, San Antonio
• Vanessa Sanchez Assistant Professor, Rice
• Wenli Jiang Co-founder, CEO, SwieNitro
• Win Cowger Executive Director, Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research
• Xi Ling Associate Professor, Boston University
• Yugang Zhang Staff Scientist, Brookhaven National Laboratory
• Zachary Combs Head, Global Technology, Birla Carbon
• Aditya Sood Assistant Professor, Princeton University
• Aeron Tynes Hammack Director of the Nanofabrication Facility, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
• Alison Fritz Research Engineer, National Energy Technology Laboratory
• Amay Bandodkar Assistant Professor, North Carolina State University
• Ana Jaklenec Principal Investigator, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, MIT
• Andriy Palasyuk Research Scientist, Critical Materials Innovation Hub, Ames National Laboratory
• Anirudha V. Sumant Scientist, Argonne National Laboratory
• Anna Michel Senior Scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• Babak Anasori Associate Professor, Purdue University
• Bart Romanowicz Senior Advisor, TechConnect Division, ATI
• Branden Brough Senior Advisor for Strategy, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
• Brenda Garcia-Diaz Portfolio Director, Science Programs, Savannah River National Laboratory
• Carlos Quiroz-Arita Senior Member of Technical Staff, Sandia National Laboratories
• Chander Chawla Business Development, Evonik Corporation
• Chang-Hwan Choi Professor, Stevens Institute of Technology
• Chase Taylor Distinguished Scientist, Idaho National Laboratory
• Chih-Hao Chang Professor, The University of Texas at Austin
• Christine Galib Director, Innovation Infrastructure and Programs; Director Advancing Photonics Technologies, Princeton University
• Crysten Blaby-Haas Director of the Biological Nanostructures, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
• Dalia Yablon Technical Program Chair, TechConnect World Innovation Conference
• Dane DeQuilettes Assistant Professor, Princeton University
• Dave Calabro Scientist, ExxonMobil (retired)
• Emma Mooney Outreach and Project Manager, TechConnect Division, ATI
• Erik Spoerke Senior Analytics Advisor for Energy Storage, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Electricity
• Filippos Tourlomousis CEO and Founder, Biological Lattice Industries
• Frank Wang VP, Skywater
• Gil Min Technical Manager, Park Systems
• Halil Tekinalp R&D Scientist, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• Hanna Cho Associate Professor, The Ohio State University
• Harley Johnson Professor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Helen Zha Assistant Professor, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Ilke Arslan Deputy Associate Lab Director, Argonne National Laboratory
• Jan-Willem Handgraaf Senior Technical Product Manager, Siemens Digital Industries Software
• Jared Ashcroft Professor, Pasadena City College
• Jeehwan Kim Associate Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Jennifer Rocha Strategic Partnerships, TechConnect Division, ATI
• Jessi Olsen Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Elevate Quantum
• Jim Johnston Professor, School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
• Joan Kang Senior Career Services Advisor, Santa Monica College
• Jochen Pflug CEO, ThermHex Waben GmbH, Germany
• Johannes Galatsanos-Dueck CEO and Co-Founder, Diffraqtion
• Jonathan Jakischa Principal, Open Innovation, TechConnect Division, ATI
• Joyce Wu Manager of Initiatives and Consortium, MIT.nano, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Katie Bornfleth Marketing Communications Project Manager, TechConnect Division, ATI
• Kelsea Schumacher Critical Minerals & Materials Program Director, NIST
• Kim Chaffin Vice President, Medtronic
• Kurt Pennell Professor, Brown University
• Larissa Shepherd Assistant Professor, Cornell University
• Laura Berzak Hopkins Chief Research Officer, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
• Laura Murphree Senior Marketing and Program Manager, TechConnect Division, ATI
• Lexington Peterson Business Development Manager, Engel
• Long Ju Associate Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Mahrokh Dadsetan Research Principal Fellow, Evonik Corporation
• Maksim Shivokhin Polymer Innovation & Lightweighting strategist, ExxonMobil
• Maria Fernanda Campa Staff Scientist (Contractor), National Nanotechnology Coordination Office
• Marko Lončar Professor, Harvard University
• Marti Checa Nualart R&D Staff Scientist, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• Marvi Matos Rodriguez Senior VP of Fusion Technology, Zap Energy
• Mason Mincey COO, Co-founder, Soarce
• Matthew Hull Research Professor and Director, ICTAS Matter Labs, Virginia Tech
• Matthew Laudon Vice President, TechConnect Division, Advanced Technology International (ATI)
• Michael Strano Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Min Zou Distinguished Professor, University of Arkansas
• Monica Roy Senior Director, QuantumCT
• Nate Gemelke Co-Founder, Quera
• Nick Kacsandi Senior Business Development & Sales Manager, TechConnect Division, ATI
• Pat Brant Chief Polymer Science Advisor (retired), ExxonMobil
• Pat Everett Vice President, Oklo
• Patrick Huck Senior Computing Engineer, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
• Prakash Nallathamby Associate Director, Notre Dame University
• Pum Kim Senior R&D Scientist, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• Ray Ozdemir COO, framergy, Inc.
• Richard Sheridan Research Scientist, Duke University
• Rob Devlin CEO and Co-Founder, Metalenz
• Rong Yang Professor, Cornell University
• Ru Xie Global Market Developer, ExxonMobil
• Santa Jansone-Popova R&D Scientist, Critical Materials Innovation Hub, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• Sarah Wenning Executive Director, Operations & Technical Program, TechConnect Division, ATI
• Sehmus Ozden Scientist, Aramco Americas
• Sehoon Chang Advanced Materials Team Leader, Aramco Americas
• Shilai Hao Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech
• Stacy Swider Vice President, Investments, Mass Ventures
• Stephen Buchanan CEO, Bandelier Technologies
• Susan MacKay Senior Program Manager, University of Maine
• Thaiesha Wright Assistant Professor, University of California, Los Angeles
• Tim Lu Research Faculty Member, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Wale Lawal Co-Founder, Mesa Quantum
• Will McNamara Analyst, Sandia National Laboratories
• Xiaolin Li Scientist, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
• Yongtao Liu R&D Staff, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• Yueyu Yao Lead Scientist, Polygone Systems
• Zehra Parlak CEO, Qatch Technologies
• Zhe Qiang Associate Professor, University of Southern Mississippi

Most represented companies

• TechConnect Division, ATI — 8 speakers
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology — 6 speakers
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory — 5 speakers
• Princeton University — 5 speakers
• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — 4 speakers
• ExxonMobil — 3 speakers
• Northeastern University — 3 speakers
• Aramco Americas — 2 speakers
• Argonne National Laboratory — 2 speakers
• Cornell University — 2 speakers

Agenda (73 sessions)

Day 1 — Thursday 25 March 2027

• SBIR/STTR Overview & Phase 1 Proposal Development 08:30–12:00
• SBIR/STTR Accounting Basics 12:30–14:30 — Ed Jameson
• Phase II Proposal Preparation 14:30–16:30 — Jerry Hollister

Date not listed

• A Silicon Window into the Depths of Neuronal Networks Sensors - Chemical, Physical & Bio — Donhee Ham
• Addressing Key Challenges for Tires and Rubber Goods with Simulation-Guided Design of Carbon Blacks — Zachary Combs
• Advanced Manufacturing Technology Enabling Customized Membranes for Water Treatment and Reuse — Jeff McCutcheon
• Advanced materials for the energy-water nexus — Svetlana Boriskina
• Advances In Resorbable Polymers For Combination Production Applications Biomaterials & Medical Devices — Suping Lyu
• AFM mechanical spectroscopy: machine-learning identification of materials from multichannel Ringing-mode data SPMConnect — Igor Sokolov
• AI for Energy Materials: Disorder, Reactive Interfaces, and Closed-Loop Discovery AI, Modeling, and Simulation for Advanced Materials Design — Jiayu Peng
• An Overview of a Biodegradable Lobster Shell Composite for Temporary Structural Applications Bio-based Materials, Cellulose & Biocomposites — Greg Simms
• Application of AI and SPM automation toward efficient materials characterization and discovery SPMConnect — Bede Pittenger
• Atomic Substitution Approach for Robust Two-Dimensional Metal Nitrides and Borides — Xi Ling
• Beyond Lightweighting: Engineering High-Performance Polymers & Composites Polymers & Composites for Lightweight Applications — Abolfazi Mohebbi
• Challenges and Innovations in Chip-Level Thermal Management for Power-Dense Computing AI Infrastructure Development — Robert Ashcraft
• Cooling the AI Revolution: The Role of Fluids in Next-Generation Data Centers AI Infrastructure Development — Patrick Guide
• Development and translation of bioinspired bioadhesive platform for surgical medical devices Biomaterials & Medical Devices — Hyunwoo Yuk
• Development of PET Microplastic and Nanoplastic (MNP) Research Grade Test Material (RGTM): Sample Preparation and Use of SEM to Evaluate Nanoparticle Fraction Microplastics: Transport and Detection — Diana Ortiz-Montalvo
• Dynamic Multispectral Materials and Systems Inspired by Cephalopods Impact of Photonics — Alon Gorodetsky
• Electrical Discharge Plasma for PFAS Destruction: Interfacial Mechanisms, Mass Transfer, and Reactor Scale-Up — Selma Mededovic
• Enabling Robust Site-Specific Oral Delivery of Microbiome and Peptide Therapeutics Through Ready-to-Fill Functional Capsules Drug, Biomolecule, and Vaccine Delivery — Manish Rane
• Engineered Living Structural Materials Programming Biology for Material Innovation — Avinash Manjula-Basavanna
• Engineered Targeted Drug Delivery Drug, Biomolecule, and Vaccine Delivery — Debra Auguste
• Engineering Functional Surfaces: Durable Solar Glass Coatings and Light-Activated Wound Dressings Engineered Surfaces and Coatings — Alan Lyons
• Engineering Light and Heat with Adaptive Materials and Nanostructured Surfaces — Ognjen Ilic
• Expanding the Materials Toolbox Through Motor Design, Control, and Collaboration Innovations in Critical Minerals and Materials — Pierre Gourmelon
• Exploring nanoscale electrical and dielectric phenomena with scanning microwave impedance microscopy SPMConnect — Sabine Neumayer
• From Data to Discovery: Building the Infrastructure for Autonomous Scanning Probe Microscopy SPMConnect — Josh Agar
• From Research to Real-World Impact: How Universities Build Pathways from Lab to Market University Innovations - Driving Economic Impact — Prabhpreet Gill
• From the Lab Bench to the Lithium Triangle: Navigating the Scaling, Piloting, and Commercialization of Princeton Critical Minerals University Innovations - Driving Economic Impact — Angela Maria Fasnacht
• From Thin Air to Thick Electrodes: Lessons in Innovation from Porous Materials — Mircea Dincă
• Functional immune profiling from a blood draw using a multiparametric platform measuring single-cell biophysics Sensors - Chemical, Physical & Bio — Selim Olcum
• Generalized defect quantification of 2D materials with atomic force microscopy SPMConnect — Matthew Rosenberger
• Glycocalyx Desialylation Remodels Surface Mechanics to Potentiate Cytotoxic T Cell Responses in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma SPMConnect — Alex Cartagena-Rivera
• Graphene Bioelectronics: Electronic Tattoos and Point-of-Care Biosensors Sensors - Chemical, Physical & Bio — Dmitry Kireev
• HEAT2$$$ from AIR2$$$: Creating Value from Low Grade Waste Heat AI Infrastructure Development
• Leveling Up: From Automation to Autonomy in the Modern Microscopy Lab — Rick Passey
• Modulating the upper airway microenvironment from the endotracheal tube surface Biomaterials & Medical Devices — Teja Guda
• Navigating Polymer Latent Space using a Self-Driving Lab
• Nuclear Fuel Recycling: Current Status and Opportunities for Broader Collaboration Fusion and Fission Technology Synergies in Supply Chain and Commercialization — Jenifer Shafer
• On the path towards programmable protein-based materials Programming Biology for Material Innovation — Sesilja Aranko
• One Plan, Many Instruments: Agentic Characterization and Processing at the Boundary of Reversibility — Steven Spurgeon
• Pendant Functionalized Polyester Electrospun Patches that Address Dysregulated Clotting and Bacterial Contamination Biomaterials & Medical Devices — Abraham Joy
• Photothermal Off-Resonance Tapping for Rapid and Automated Nanomechanical Mapping SPMConnect — Hans Gunstheimer
• Polymer Waveguides for Board-Level Optical Interconnects in High-Performance Computing Systems Impact of Photonics — Ross Johnson
• Powering the Fusion Industry through Science and Technology Innovation Fusion and Fission Technology Synergies in Supply Chain and Commercialization — Stephanie Diem
• Quantum Networking : Applications Beyond QKD Quantum Sensors and Networking: Leading the Commercialization of Quantum Technologies
• Regenerative Engineering: Translating Biomaterials Innovation into Clinical Impact — Guillermo Ameer
• Salt-tolerant Materials Enable Catalytic Water Treatment: The Fab Wastewater Example
• Scaling and Manufacturing Protein Fibers in the USA Advances in Fiber and Textile Technology — Melik Demirel
• Scaling Composite Lightweighting for Mass Market Automotive Structures Polymers & Composites for Lightweight Applications — Srikanth Pilla
• Scaling Tissue Repair with Machines, Not Donors: Animal-Free Nanofiber Biomanufacturing for Health Security Biomaterials & Medical Devices — Sherif Soliman
• Scanning Probes for Next-Generation Semiconductors: Mapping Dynamics from Polymers to Perovskites SPMConnect — David Ginger
• Scout: a sensor for real-time detection and characterization of microplastics Microplastics: Transport and Detection — Beckett Colson
• Selective Separation of Rare Earth Elements: A Bioinspired Approach Innovations in Critical Minerals and Materials — Marie Perrin
• Self-Driving Materials Discovery: From Autonomous Synthesis to Agentic Experimentation AI, Modeling, and Simulation for Advanced Materials Design — Yugang Zhang
• Skin, Core and Bond in One Polymer: All-PP Sandwich Panels from Extruded Foam to Thermoformed Parts Polymers & Composites for Lightweight Applications — David Pospíšil
• Spiral-Wound Interfacial Evaporator for Low-Energy Ammonia Recovery from Wastewater and Fertilizer Production — Wenli Jiang
• Strategies to battle PFAS in an energy-efficient manner PFAS and Emerging Contaminant Remediation — Qingguo (Jack) Huang
• Superior PFAS Removal From Water via Specialty Ion Exchange Resins PFAS and Emerging Contaminant Remediation — Orlando Coronell
• Synergies and Strategies in Neutron Irradiation for Fission and Fusion Materials Testing Fusion and Fission Technology Synergies in Supply Chain and Commercialization — Nicolas Woolstenhulme
• Taking Friction Out of Impact: A Ten-Year Review of MIT’s The Engine University Innovations - Driving Economic Impact — Reed Sturtevant
• Textile Robots: From Material Architectures to Wearable Assistance Advances in Fiber and Textile Technology — Vanessa Sanchez
• The Aqueous Salt Blanket: a High-Performance, High TRL, Natural Lithium-6, Blanket Concept for the Helios Fusion Power Plant Fusion and Fission Technology Synergies in Supply Chain and Commercialization — Sam Pasmann
• The cell design and supply chain conditions needed for energy- and cost-advantage in solid-state batteries Energy Storage from Molecules to Megawatts — Nicholas Siemons
• The Energy Technology Proving Ground - Advancing Energy Technology Integration, Scale-up, and Demonstration Fusion and Fission Technology Synergies in Supply Chain and Commercialization
• The Third Digital Sense: Machines with a Sense of Touch University Innovations - Driving Economic Impact — Adam Hopkins
• Thread-Based Sensors, Transistors and Integrated Circuits for Substrate-Free, All-Thread Wearable Bioelectronics Sensors - Chemical, Physical & Bio — Sameer Sonkusale
• Unveiling Structure–Processing–Property Relationships in Thermoplastic Polyurethanes Using Atomic Force Microscopy SPMConnect
• Why is measuring little particles such a big challenge to harmonize? Microplastics: Transport and Detection — Win Cowger
• 2D Materials and Devices: From Physics to Commercialization Graphene & 2D-Materials — Saptarshi Das
• 4,000 Femtometers Below the Noise: Revealing Hidden Structures and Dynamics with Interferometric AFM SPMConnect — Roger Proksch
• A platform for heterogeneously integrated quantum photonics Quantum Sensors and Networking: Leading the Commercialization of Quantum Technologies — Bart Machielse

Organisers, sponsors and partners

Organiser (1)

TechConnect

Sponsors (5)

Manufacturing USA · Texas State University · Texas Tech University System · Ames National Laboratory · American Elements

Exhibitors (11)

Canfield CyberDefense Group · Eva Garland Consulting, LLC · Texas State University · NGK Automotive Ceramics USA, INC · 44 Maple Group - Tech Solutions Group · Lenovo · BBC Entrepreneurial Training & Consulting (BBCetc) · ATI · Park Systems · Ames National Laboratory · Totem Technologies

Source: the organiser's published agenda. See how B2DB compiles its records.