PROGRAM DIRECTORS
Martin L. Yarmush, MD, PhD, is the Paul and Mary Monroe Professor of Science and Engineering and Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Rutgers, the Director of the Center for Innovative Ventures of Emerging Technologies (CIVET) at Rutgers, and the Founding Director of the Center for Engineering in Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Over the last 30 years, Dr. Yarmush has published >400 refereed journal articles, >40 patents and patent applications, has mentored >45 graduate students and >90 postdoctoral fellows. More than 70 of his former fellows have gone on to successful careers in academia both here and abroad, >50 have gone on to become leaders in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries, and at least 10 others have chosen consulting, medical writing, or law-oriented paths. In 2007, Dr. Yarmush founded Rutgers’ Center for Innovative Ventures of Emerging Technologies (CIVET); an academic center that develops and coordinates programs and activities to support innovative and broad translation of science and engineering toward the creation and commercialization of intellectual property (IP) and vital technology.
Tim Maguire, PhD, is a Research Professor in Biomedical Engineering, and Director of Business Development for CIVET, where he works to establish novel tools, processes, and industrial-academic collaborations to foster translational research at Rutgers University. Additionally, Tim co-leads the Innovative Research and Therapy Foundation, a non-profit organization providing funding for early stage technologies.
Kristen S. Labazzo, PhD, MBA, is an assistant research professor in Biomedical Engineering and the executive director of the MDDC. Dr. Labazzo has 15 years of lab experience in cutting-edge science including biomaterials, stem cell biology and tissue engineering/regeneration. She also holds an MBA and has utilized her dual science/business background working in corporate communications at Celgene and in development at her favorite non-profit museum, Liberty Science Center. Passionate about STEM education and preparing the next generation of scientists, Dr. Labazzo has mentored several interns and ran the internship program at Celgene Cellular Therapeutics where she worked for 10 years. She was also actively involved in business development and spearheaded numerous industrial collaborations and outreach initiatives. Dr. Labazzo has been an invited speaker at a full range of educational institutions, from elementary schools to Ivy League universities, and is passionate about STEM education and biomedical innovation.