Description:

The Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy invites faculty to attend a special presentation by the Innovation and New Ventures Office (INVO) to learn about opportunities and resources in sustainability and energy-related invention management.

In addition to hearing insights from INVO leaders, attendees will hear from guest speaker Kathryn Meng, investment director, RA Capital, about investing opportunities in university-managed sustainable technologies from an industry perspective. John Torkelson, Walter P. Murphy Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, will share a recent success story that highlights cross-university collaboration opportunities. The event will be followed by dedicated time for networking with colleagues.

Where: Tech Institute | J-wing Atrium | J205

When: 4:00 - 6:00pm | Tuesday, April 30

3:45 PM

Arrival – Doors Open 

4:00 PM – 4:10 PM

Introduction | Demetria Giannisis, Senior Managing Director | Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy 

4:10 PM – 4:30 PM

INVO Overview and InQbation Lab Resources | Sonia Kim, Executive Director | Querrey InQbation Lab, Innovation and New Ventures (INVO) 

4:30 PM – 4:40 PM

Trienens Institute/INVO Collaboration Overview | Phillip Carter, Associate Director, Strategic Alliances/Invention Manager | Innovation and New Ventures (INVO) 

4:40 PM – 5:00 PM

Collaboration Spotlight | John Torkelson, Walter P. Murphy Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering | Northwestern University

5:00 PM – 5:30 PM

Investing Opportunities in Sustainable Technologies from Universities | Kathryn Meng, Investment Director | RA Capital Management 

5:30 PM – 6:00 PM

Networking with fellow attendees

About Guest Speaker Kathryn Meng  

Kathryn Meng is an Investment Director within the Planetary Health division of RA Capital. Kathryn’s primary responsibility at RA is to invest in companies developing solutions that address climate change and environmental sustainability. Prior to joining RA, Kathryn was SVP of Strategy at Energetic Insurance where she addressed regulatory-driven commercial lender limitations to enable financing for renewable energy and efficiency via financial insurance products. Before Energetic, she was Head of Carbon Strategic Partnerships at Indigo Ag, where she led external innovation focused on solutions that minimize or sequester agricultural GHG emissions and deliver additional environmental, social, and economic co-benefits. Prior to Indigo, Kathryn was Investment Principal at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) where she invested in enterprise and consumer-facing clean energy companies, including software and hardware companies focused on utility and grid resilience, grid edge, next-generation renewables, efficient mobility, industrial efficiency, sustainable buildings, and the water-energy nexus. Kathryn holds a BA in Geography and Peace and Conflict Studies from Colgate University, a MSc in International Development: Environment and Development from the University of Manchester (UK), and a MA and Ph.D. in Geography from Clark University (2016).