Sarah Berman is embracing entrepreneurship.
A second-year PhD student in Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University, Berman’s research in the lab of assistant professor David Barton focuses on the development of new material systems in integrated photonics.
While the science excites Berman, so, too, does the entrepreneurial promise of the work, which carries far-reaching applications in an increasingly tech-charged world. Innovation in the field of integrated photonics holds immense potential to influence everything from data centers to autonomous vehicles, from 6G networks to quantum computing, from biosensors to telecommunications. It’s why Berman wanted to develop entrepreneurial skills early in her PhD studies.
The sprint also allowed the Farley Center and the InQbation Lab to identify and purposefully engage ambitious researchers with an interest in translating science out of their lab, thereby building a foundation for future collaboration and the commercialization of enterprising ideas. ”
Sarah Berman, Second-Year PhD Student in Materials Science
On August 1-2, 2024, Berman joined 29 other Northwestern-based PhD and postdoctoral researchers in the inaugural Scientist-Entrepreneur Sprint, a crash course in how to transform discoveries from the lab into enticing business ventures.
Leveraging the Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation’s expertise in entrepreneurial education and the Querrey InQbation Lab’s translational experience, the two-day program delivered bite-sized educational sessions to help early-career research scientists like Berman understand the entrepreneurial journey.
Through live workshops, mock customer discovery, and collaborative brainstorming, participants learned how to apply translational approaches to their research, from distilling their technology for diverse audiences and communicating its value proposition to navigating the customer discovery process and networking. Participants also heard from faculty members and former PhD students who successfully commercialized their technologies and learned about Northwestern’s varied resources for entrepreneurial-minded researchers as well.
The first-time event helped researchers look more critically at their research and the practical process of bringing high-value, high-impact technologies into the world in a sustainable, scalable way. One participant likened the sprint to an abridged MBA. Berman, meanwhile, described the program as an empowering adventure injecting practical business perspectives into her research, which will help streamline and strengthen any commercially relevant discoveries emerging from her lab work.
The sprint also allowed the Farley Center and the InQbation Lab to identify and purposefully engage ambitious researchers with an interest in translating science out of their lab, thereby building a foundation for future collaboration and the commercialization of enterprising ideas.