Danny Lam
What is your student/job title?
PhD Candidate
What is your fellowship project?
Developing a resorbable peripheral nerve stimulator for temporary neuromodulation.
What is your favorite part of entrepreneurship?
It’s an unwritten journey with plenty of adventures to experience and stories to tell!
Do you have an entrepreneurial role model? If so, who?
After fleeing Vietnam, my family had very limited access to income and resources. Growing up, we all had a hustle to make ends meet. In order to support their families, the women ( the aunties and most importantly my mom) all started their own brick-and-mortar small businesses, independent from one another. They were able to define their own success stories which has inspired me to seek out the uncomfortable situations in hopes of gaining new perspectives and experiences.
What is your favorite location to visit in Cleveland?
West Side Market and any coffee shop that’s within walking distance.
What is your favorite way to spend your day off?
Volunteering at community-based non-profit organizations.
He (Andy) Liu, PhD
What is your student/job title?
Research Associate
What is your fellowship project?
Investigating and targeting Tiam1 protein in cancer
What is your favorite part of entrepreneurship?
For me, the favorite part of entrepreneurship is communicating with subject matter experts, learning the transformation and translation of great ideas into commercial ventures. This program provides me with the great opportunity of self-discovery about reflecting on what I can contribute to the different levels from biological science perspectives
Do you have an entrepreneurial role model? If so, who?
Yes, I do. My uncle is my entrepreneurial role model. Given no opportunity to obtain high education at that time, my uncle’s management of people and business is legendary in the local community. It was instrumental for me at early young age to observe and learn in-person lessons.
What is your favorite location to visit in Cleveland?
Great Lakes Science Center and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
What is your favorite way to spend your day off?
Cooking with family and watching family-oriented movies
Ila Mishra, PhD
What is your student/job title?
Senior Research Associate
What is your fellowship project?
We are working on developing asprosin targeting therapeutics such as monoclonal antibodies and receptor traps for the treatment of obesity and diabetes.
What is your favorite part of entrepreneurship?
Just like science, entrepreneurship also involves constant learning, swift adaptation and potential to take risks. Scientific entrepreneurship is the only way forward to make a global impact with discoveries and innovations.
Do you have an entrepreneurial role model? If so, who?
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw. Mazumdar-Shaw is the chairman and CEO of Biocon. Like most great ideas, Biocon also started in a garage, and is now the biggest producer of insulin in Asia.
What is your favorite location to visit in Cleveland?
Edgewater park
What is your favorite way to spend your day off?
Watch old classics with my husband.
Ilaha Isali, MD
What is your student/job title?
I am a full-time research associate working in the laboratory of Dr. Adonis Hijaz within the department of urology. I am also pursuing a master's degree in the field of regenerative medicine with a focus on entrepreneurship.
What is your fellowship project?
My project is dedicated to developing a novel, multiphasic bladder patch that can be utilized for applications in urogenital reconstruction. I believe my work will lead to significant improvements in the quality of life for many patients for years to come, and I am committed to making it a reality.
What is your favorite part of entrepreneurship?
Entrepreneurs explore possibilities afforded by new technologies and products. There is an inherent risk associated with being an entrepreneur as it often necessitates “going against the crowd”. Convincing people that an idea has merit and will improve their lives is a worthwhile challenge. The idealism and desire to see improvements in living conditions and quality of life around them is something that I strive to follow.
Do you have an entrepreneurial role model? If so, who?
I admire Elon Musk because he demonstrates perseverance and is willing to pursue new ideas/concepts that may ultimately fail (does anybody remember the Hyperloop?). Nevertheless, he appears to take failures in stride and shows a flexibility of mind to pursue other ideas that ultimately prove successful (Tesla being the most obvious, currently).
What is your favorite location to visit in Cleveland?
Little Italy
What is your favorite way to spend your day off?
Knitting scarfs and hats, exploring history/cultures if I have enough time off and empires (especially Ottoman and Mongol), watching documentaries, learning foreign languages, and writing poems/books (I published two books)
Jeeda Ismail
What is your student/job title?
I am a PhD Candidate, currently starting my third year at Dr. Mark Cameron’s lab in the Department of Systems Biology & Bioinformatics.
What is your fellowship project?
My fellowship project involves developing and commercializing a multi-omic signature of cardiovascular disease in HIV, as well as an in silico transcriptomic-based drug targeting algorithm for exploring repurposable drugs, focusing on infectious diseases, HIV and COVID-19.
What is your favorite part of entrepreneurship?
My favorite part is the creativity and passion that is needed to not only develop an innovation, but also to see it come to fruition and improve patients’ lives.
Do you have an entrepreneurial role model? If so, who?
Yes, my dad. Simply because I’ve never met anyone as dedicated and determined to see his startup company succeed despite all odds.
What is your favorite location to visit in Cleveland?
The Syrian Garden in Cleveland Cultural Gardens. It’s a little piece of home that is always in my heart.
What is your favorite way to spend your day off?
Going for a walk or a bike ride with my husband, Hanny, then eating ice cream while we watch the sunset at Solstice Steps.
Rohit Jain, PhD
What is your student/job title?
Senior Research Associate
What is your fellowship project?
My project is to monitor Neuropeptide Y, a key stress biomarker in human biofluids and develop an objective stress diagnostic screen.
What is your favorite part of entrepreneurship?
The ability to start from scratch and develop ideas into a “living” system. If successful, I can satisfy an urgent need and impact society positively.
Do you have an entrepreneurial role model? If so, who?
Jeff Bezos for the way he uses his scientific intellect in developing ideas into reality. His leadership skills are exemplary and listening to him is a wonderful learning experience.
What is your favorite location to visit in Cleveland?
I love spots near CWRU like Wade Park Lagoon, Uptown shopping area and Little Italy. These places offer a mix of fun and are easily accessible during/after working hours.
What is your favorite way to spend your day off?
I love to explore new places with my daughter and wife.
Shiv Verma, PhD
What is your student/job title?
Research Associate
What is your fellowship project?
My fellowship project is on “Melanoma-associated antigen 6 (MAGEA6) antigen to design a novel multi-epitope peptide vaccine against bladder cancer”.
What is your favorite part of entrepreneurship?
I am very excited to learn more about the commercialization of research and how to bridge the gap between laboratory research and real-world application.
Do you have an entrepreneurial role model? If so, who?
My entrepreneurial role model is N.R. Narayana Murthy, the founder member of INFOSYS. He was among the 12 "greatest entrepreneurs of our time" according to the Fortune magazine list, which is topped by Apple's late chief Steve Jobs.
What is your favorite location to visit in Cleveland?
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- Cleveland Botanical Garden
- Angelos Nido Italia Restaurant
Sina Pourang
What is your student/job title?
I am a fourth-year Ph.D. student in electrical engineering at CWRU.
What is your fellowship project?
I am developing a microfluidic sensor, termed TraumaChekTM, for rapid, comprehensive, and specific detection of mechanisms underlying trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC) to guide personalized treatments.
What is your favorite part of entrepreneurship?
Seeing an idea that just begins as a conversation and becomes a product is such an amazing thing to experience.
Do you have an entrepreneurial role model? If so, who?
Ali Khademhosseini, Director and CEO of the Terasaki Institute. In the field of precision medicine, he is a leader in applying bioengineering solutions. His work focuses on developing 'individualized' therapies to treat organ failure, cardiovascular disease, and cancer using micro- and nanoscale technologies.
What is your favorite location to visit in Cleveland?
Downtown Cleveland and the Cleveland Museum of Art.
What is your favorite way to spend your day off?
Playing basketball and hiking
Sneha Singh, PhD
What is your student/job title?
Postdoc Researcher
What is your fellowship project?
Need for markers in emerging rectal cancer therapies
What is your favorite part of entrepreneurship?
Turning the technologies into real-time products or prototypes for social benefits.
Do you have an entrepreneurial role model? If so, who?
I find the people like Mausumi Acharyya and Shikha Suman, commendable role models who used AI and medical technologies to simplify many healthcare problems hence inspiring me always.
What is your favorite location to visit in Cleveland?
I love everything which connects me to nature directly and Cleveland has lots of gardens and parks to visit.
What is your favorite way to spend your day off?
I enjoy cooking, so on my day off I usually spend time with my family and friends and cook for them.