Hosted by the Office of Technology Management and sponsored by McKelvey School of Engineering, the annual Women in Innovation and Technology (WIT) Luncheon is back on November 8, 2023!
WIT brings together WashU’s women academic researchers to celebrate their achievements in technology commercialization and showcase successful role models. Join us this year for keynote speaker, Lan Yang, PhD, the Edwin H. and Florence G. Skinner professor in the Preston M. Green Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering and Co-Founder/Chief Technology Officer of Deepsight Technology. The event is open to all. Registration required.
Full Agenda
| Time | Activity | Location |
| 11:00-11:30 | Check-in | Great Rooms A & B |
| 11:30-12:00 | Mingling, Lunch & Seating | Great Rooms A & B |
| 12:00-12:05 | Welcome Nichole Mercier, PhD Assistant Vice Chancellor and Managing Director, Office of Technology Management, Washington University in St. Louis | Great Rooms A & B |
| 12:05-12:35 | Keynote “Beyond Academia: My Path to Driving Innovation in Medical Imaging Technology” Lan Yang, Ph.D. Edwin H. and Florence G. Skinner Professor, Electrical & Systems Engineering; Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder, DeepSight Technology, Inc. | Great Rooms A & B |
| 12:35-12:50 | Audience Q&A | Great Rooms A & B |
| 12:50-12:55 | Closing Remarks Nichole Mercier, PhD Assistant Vice Chancellor and Managing Director, Office of Technology Management, Washington University in St. Louis | Great Rooms A & B |
| 1:00-1:30 | Roundtable Discussions Connect with others on similar journeys in conversations facilitated by OTM team members. Topics include: I’m thinking about or ready to start my company I’ve disclosed or filed for a patent… What next? Where do I start? I’m looking to learn more… | Great Rooms A & B |
Biography, Lan Yang, PhD
Professor Lan Yang is an engineer, physicist, entrepreneur, and academic leader, known for her groundbreaking work in the field of nanophotonics. She has been recognized as one of the highly cited researchers by Clarivate each year since 2019. Currently, she is the Edwin H. and Florence G. Skinner professor in the Preston M. Green Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, where she focuses on light-matter interactions in high-quality nanophotonics systems that have found a broad range of applications, including communication, environmental monitoring, quantum technologies, biosensing, and imaging, etc. She is also serving as the Editor-in-Chief of Photonics Research, ranked 10th out of 97 journals according to optics category rankings in the Journal Citation Reports (Source Clarivate, 2020). In addition, she is a co-founder, chief technology officer, and board member of DeepSight Technology, a startup focused on the development of disruptive technologies, including innovation in hardware, software and AI technologies, for high-performance non-invasive medical imaging to benefit public health and well-being.
Yang received her B.S. from the University of Science and Technology of China and her Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Caltech in 2005. She has received numerous awards and honors, including the NSF CAREER Award in 2010 and the 2010 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). She is a Fellow of OSA (Optical Society of America), IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), APS (American Physical Society), and AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science).
In addition to her notable professional achievements, Yang had the honor to share her experiences in a Mid-America Emmy award-winning short film in 2020 titled “Changing the World Through Science: Lan Yang”. This film captures her dedication, perseverance, and passion for science. This film provides a glimpse into her inspiring journey as a female scientist.
Learn more about Lan Yang, PhD.
