MARCH 10-12, 2026 | RALEIGH, NC
View Co-Located Events

   PLENARY & KEY SPEAKERS  


Plenary Speakers

Elif Balkas

Elif Balkas

CTO, Wolfspeed

Architecting the Future with Silicon Carbide: A Platform for Power, Intelligence, and Immersion

Rodney Ruoff

Rodney Ruoff

Distinguished Professor, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Korea

Lightweighting with single crystal graphene, and new routes to growing diamonds

William Oliver

William Oliver

Professor, MIT

Quantum Computing 101: Foundations, Frontiers, and Future Impact

Key Speakers

Jonathan Adams

Jonathan Adams

Researcher, Nanosurf

Janne-Constantin Albrecht

Janne-Constantin Albrecht

Research Assistant, Fraunhofer ICT, Germany

Babak Anasori

Babak Anasori

Associate Professor, Purdue University

Netz Arroyo-Curras

Netz Arroyo-Curras

Associate Professor, UNC Chapel Hill

Jared Ashcroft

Jared Ashcroft

Professor, Pasadena City College

Veronica Augustyn

Veronica Augustyn

Professor, North Carolina State University

Travis Bailey

Travis Bailey

Professor, Colorado State

Robert Baldwin

Robert Baldwin

Principal Scientist, National Laboratory of the Rockies

Nina Balke

Nina Balke

Associate Professor, North Carolina State University

Amay Bandodkar

Amay Bandodkar

Assistant Professor, North Carolina State University

Matthew Becker

Matthew Becker

Professor, Duke University

Subhashish Bhattacharya

Subhashish Bhattacharya

Distinguished Professor, North Carolina State University

Jaipreet Bindra

Jaipreet Bindra

Senior Advisor, University of Ottawa

Crysten Blaby-Haas

Crysten Blaby-Haas

Staff Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Jonathan Boreyko

Jonathan Boreyko

Associate Professor, Virginia Tech

Katie Bornfleth

Katie Bornfleth

Marketing Communications Project Manager, TechConnect Division, ATI

Pat Brant

Pat Brant

Chief Polymer Science Advisor (retired), ExxonMobil

Robin Brigmon

Robin Brigmon

Adjunct Professor, Clemson University

Stephen Buchanan

Stephen Buchanan

Founder, Bandelier Technologies

Robin Burke (invited)

Robin Burke (invited)

Program Manager, Special Operations Command

Bob Burton

Bob Burton

Director of Defense Technologies, North Carolina Military Business Center

Greg Byrd

Greg Byrd

Professor, North Carolina State University

Dave Calabro

Dave Calabro

Scientist, ExxonMobil (retired)

James Caley

James Caley

Director of Operational Energy, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Energy, US Navy

Maria Fernanda Campa

Maria Fernanda Campa

Staff Scientist (Contractor), National Nanotechnology Coordination Office

Kim Chaffin

Kim Chaffin

Vice President, Medtronic

Julie Champion

Julie Champion

Professor, Georgia Tech

Erin Chancellor

Erin Chancellor

General Counsel, Texas Space Commission

Chih-Hao Chang

Chih-Hao Chang

Professor, The University of Texas at Austin

Sehoon Chang

Sehoon Chang

Advanced Materials Team Leader, Aramco Americas

Marti Checa Nualart

Marti Checa Nualart

R&D Staff Scientist, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Yongsheng Chen

Yongsheng Chen

Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology

Premith Chilukuri

Premith Chilukuri

Senior AI Specialist, ABB

Ravi Chilukuri

Ravi Chilukuri

Innovation Ecosystem Director, North Carolina State University

Hanna Cho

Hanna Cho

Associate Professor, Ohio State University

Orlando Coronell

Orlando Coronell

Professor, UNC Chapel Hill

Krista Covey

Krista Covey

President, First Flight Venture Center

Clay Cuddington

Clay Cuddington

Product Development Engineer, ExxonMobil

Honggang Cui

Honggang Cui

Professor, Johns Hopkins

Mahrokh Dadsetan

Mahrokh Dadsetan

Principal Research Fellow, Evonik

Preeta Datta

Preeta Datta

Director of Open Innovation for North America, Evonik Corporation

John David

John David

Chief Technology Officer, BryceTech

Scott Davis

Scott Davis

Hub Director – UNCW, NCInnovation

Paige DeBaylo

Paige DeBaylo

Director, National Safety Council MSD Solutions Lab

Jeseth Delgado Vela

Jeseth Delgado Vela

Assistant Professor, Duke University

Ali Dhinojwala

Ali Dhinojwala

Professor, University of Akron

Robert Dilmore

Robert Dilmore

Research Engineer, National Energy Technology Laboratory

Emily Dinu

Emily Dinu

Founding Partner, Numinous Capital

Mica Dolan

Mica Dolan

President and CEO, Advanced Technology International (ATI)

Grayson Dorr

Grayson Dorr

Senior Project Manager, Advanced Technology International (ATI)

Anna Duraj-Thatte

Anna Duraj-Thatte

Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech

Nate Earnest-Noble

Nate Earnest-Noble

Technical Manager, IBM

Joe Epstein

Joe Epstein

Strategic Partnership Lead, Lockheed Martin Space

Babak Eslami

Babak Eslami

Associate Professor, Widener University

Hannah Everett

Hannah Everett

Senior Program Manager, National Safety Council

Michelle Fiscus

Michelle Fiscus

Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer, NCInnovation

Pamela Fisher

Pamela Fisher

Vice President, Business Recruitment, Greenville ENC Alliance

Lynn Foster

Lynn Foster

Founder and CEO, Z-Field Technologies

Nicole Fox

Nicole Fox

Army’s Applied Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Contested Logistics & Sustainment S&T Transition Broker Team and Army CATALYST Program under ASA(ALT)., Army

Aaron Franklin

Aaron Franklin

Professor, Duke University

Alison Fritz

Alison Fritz

Research Engineer, National Energy Technology Laboratory

Stephen Furst

Stephen Furst

Founder, EO, Smart Material Solutions

Chirag Gajjar

Chirag Gajjar

Principal Textile R&D Engineer, Medtronic

Christine Galib

Christine Galib

Director, Advancing Photonics Technologies, Princeton University

Joshua Gallaway

Joshua Gallaway

Associate Professor, Northeastern University

Ricardo Garcia

Ricardo Garcia

Keynote Speaker, Professor, Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid CSIC, Spain

Genevieve Garland

Genevieve Garland

Senior Associate Vice Chancellor of Research Development, North Carolina State University

Anthe George

Anthe George

Senior Manager, Sandia National Laboratories

Shahir Gerges

Shahir Gerges

Director of Business Strategy, Orbital Reef, Blue Origin

Roozbeh Ghaffari

Roozbeh Ghaffari

CEO/Co-Founder, Epicore Biosystems

Andrea Giska

Andrea Giska

Equity Funding Specialist, Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC) in North Carolina

Shelby Giza

Shelby Giza

Director, Business Development - Applications, Space Tango

Jim Greenwood

Jim Greenwood

Founder, Greenwood Consulting Group

Aalo Gupta

Aalo Gupta

Fellow, Phillips 66

Bahareh Haji-saeed

Bahareh Haji-saeed

Technology Scouting Director, BAE Systems, FAST Labs

Jan-Willem Handgraaf

Jan-Willem Handgraaf

Senior Technical Product Manager, Siemens Digital Industries Software

John Hardin

John Hardin

Executive Director for the North Carolina Board of Science Technology & Innovation, North Carolina Department of Commerce

Connor Hart

Connor Hart

Head of Product, EuQlid

Christy Haynes

Christy Haynes

Professor, University of Minnesota

Marcus Hays

Marcus Hays

Founder, CEO, Orbis Electric

Ting He

Ting He

Senior Principal Textile Engineer, Edwards Lifesciences

Felix Heide

Felix Heide

Assistant Professor, Princeton University

Sarah Herschede

Sarah Herschede

Portfolio Manager, Varda Space Industries

Matthew Hetrich

Matthew Hetrich

Principal Scientist and Generative AI Lead, ABB

David Hill

David Hill

Senior Research Scientist, SRI International

Jerry Hollister

Jerry Hollister

Senior Principal Consultant, BBC Entrepreneurial Training and Consulting

David Horn

David Horn

Vice President, Operations and Strategic Partnerships, Greenville ENC Alliance

Eli Hornstein

Eli Hornstein

Founder, CEO, elysia bio

Eric Hsieh

Eric Hsieh

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Storage, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Electricity

Qingguo (Jack) Huang

Qingguo (Jack) Huang

Professor, University of Georgia

Matthew Hull

Matthew Hull

Director, Nanoscale Characterization and Fabrication Laboratory, Virginia Tech

Haroon Inam

Haroon Inam

CEO & Co-Founder, DGMatrix

Jonathan Jakischa

Jonathan Jakischa

Principal, Open Innovation, TechConnect Division, ATI

Ed Jameson

Ed Jameson

Managing Partner, Jameson & Company

Santa Jansone-Popova

Santa Jansone-Popova

R&D Scientist, Critical Materials Innovation Hub, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Jim Johnston

Jim Johnston

Professor, School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

Andrew Jones

Andrew Jones

Assistant Professor, Duke University

Jacob Jones

Jacob Jones

Professor, North Carolina State University

Rich Julien

Rich Julien

Partner, BOKA Ventures

Jesse Jur

Jesse Jur

Deputy Director, North Carolina Department of Commerce

Nick Kacsandi

Nick Kacsandi

Senior Business Development & Sales Manager, TechConnect Division, ATI

Sabre Kais

Sabre Kais

Goodnight Distinguished Chair in Quantum Computing, North Carolina State University

Pritish Kamat

Pritish Kamat

Global Engineering & Process Research Manager, Carbon Clean

Fred Kish

Fred Kish

Distinguished Professor, North Carolina State University

Brian Korgel

Brian Korgel

Professor, University of Texas at Austin

Arun Kota

Arun Kota

Associate Professor, North Carolina State University

Billy Kronenwetter, P.E.

Billy Kronenwetter, P.E.

Senior Solution Developer, Duke Energy

Girish Kumar

Girish Kumar

CTO, Gadgeon Systems

Matthew Laudon

Matthew Laudon

Vice President, TechConnect Division, Advanced Technology International (ATI)

Daeyeon Lee

Daeyeon Lee

Professor, University of Pennsylvania

Hansol Lee

Hansol Lee

Senior Research Engineer, 3M

Cora Leibig

Cora Leibig

Founder and CEO, Chromatic 3D Materials

Xiaolin Li

Xiaolin Li

Scientist, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Craig Lindemann

Craig Lindemann

Textile Innovator, Fabric Thereafter

Yongtao Liu

Yongtao Liu

R&D Staff, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Zekun(Zack) Liu

Zekun(Zack) Liu

Director of R&D, Claros Technologies Inc.

Daniel Lopez

Daniel Lopez

Professor, Penn State University

Susan MacKay

Susan MacKay

Senior Program Manager, University of Maine

ML Mackey

ML Mackey

CEO and Co-Founder, Beacon Interactive

Rammohan (Ram) Maikala

Rammohan (Ram) Maikala

Technical Program Consultant, MSD Solutions Lab, National Safety Council

Tim Martin

Tim Martin

Interim Assistant Vice Chancellor of New Ventures and Investments, North Carolina State University

Chelsea McCollough

Chelsea McCollough

Founder, Digi.City

David McGee

David McGee

Professor, The College of New Jersey

Brittany McGinley

Brittany McGinley

Senior Manager, Deloitte Consulting LLP

Mireya McKee

Mireya McKee

Interim Director, UNC Innovate Carolina

Will McNamara

Will McNamara

Analyst, Sandia National Laboratories

Nick Melillo

Nick Melillo

Technical Director, Advanced Technology International (ATI)

Kevin Mish

Kevin Mish

Senior Program Manager, Abbott on Call

Veena Misra

Veena Misra

Department Head, Distinguished University Professor, North Carolina State University

Dave Molloy

Dave Molloy

Director of North American Operations, Promix-Solutions

Andrea Monteza

Andrea Monteza

Makerspace Director, North Carolina State University

Emma Mooney

Emma Mooney

Outreach and Project Manager, TechConnect Division, ATI

Troy Morris

Troy Morris

Co-Founder and CEO, Kall Morris Inc (KMI)

Jeffrey Moseley

Jeffrey Moseley

Researcher, University of California, Berkeley

Greg Mulholland

Greg Mulholland

Founder, Citrine Informatics

Molly Mulligan

Molly Mulligan

COO, Space MD

Laura Murphree

Laura Murphree

Senior Marketing and Program Manager, TechConnect Division, ATI

Colin Murphy

Colin Murphy

Co-Director, University of California, Davis

Prathima Nalam

Prathima Nalam

Associate Professor, University of Buffalo

Prakash Nallathamby

Prakash Nallathamby

Associate Director, Notre Dame University

Chang-Yong Nam

Chang-Yong Nam

Group Leader, Brookhaven National Laboratory

SungWoo Nam

SungWoo Nam

Professor, University of California, Irvine

Mohammad Naraghi

Mohammad Naraghi

Professor, Texas A&M

Roger Narayan

Roger Narayan

Professor, North Carolina State University

Xiaoyue Ni

Xiaoyue Ni

Assistant Professor, Duke University

Janhavi Nistane

Janhavi Nistane

Scientist, Matmerize, Inc

Alex Norman

Alex Norman

Executive Director, Princeton Materials Institute, Princeton University

Sherine Obare

Sherine Obare

Vice Chancellor for Research and Engagement, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Jan Odegard

Jan Odegard

Founder, 62X Ventures

Kwang W. Oh

Kwang W. Oh

Professor, University at Buffalo, SUNY

Ben Ohler

Ben Ohler

Senior Product Line Manager, Oxford Instruments Asylum Research, Inc.

David Ousterout

David Ousterout

General Partner, Cape Fear BioCapital

Craig Owens

Craig Owens

Small Business Innovation Research Program Manager, Lockheed Martin

Sehmus Ozden

Sehmus Ozden

Scientist, Aramco Americas

Ed Pagani

Ed Pagani

Assistant Vice President for External Partnerships, Duke University

Andriy Palasyuk

Andriy Palasyuk

Research Scientist, Critical Materials Innovation Hub, Ames National Laboratory

Pushpendra Pandey

Pushpendra Pandey

Director of Architecture, Fidelity Investments

Zehra Parlak

Zehra Parlak

CEO, Qatch Technologies

Jason Patrick

Jason Patrick

Associate Professor, North Carolina State University

Abby Phillips

Abby Phillips

Assistant Director Wolfpack Investor Network (WIN), North Carolina State University

Cassandra Phillips

Cassandra Phillips

Product Manager, Bruker

Christina Piard

Christina Piard

Talent Manager, Wolfspeed

William Polacheck

William Polacheck

Associate Professor, UNC Chapel Hill and NC State University

Radislav Potyrailo

Radislav Potyrailo

Senior Principal Scientist, GE Vernova

Anthony Pugliese

Anthony Pugliese

Director of the Office of Technology Commercialization and the Chief Commercialization Officer, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)

Chris Puhl

Chris Puhl

Business Development Manager, Exobiosphere

David Putnam

David Putnam

Director of Economic Development, Town of Chapel Hill

Zhe Qiang

Zhe Qiang

Associate Professor, University of Southern Mississippi

Carlos Quiroz-Arita

Carlos Quiroz-Arita

Senior Member of Technical Staff, Sandia National Laboratories

Srinivasa Raghavan

Srinivasa Raghavan

Professor, University of Maryland

Mim Rahimi

Mim Rahimi

Assistant Professor, University of Houston

Nicole Rawling

Nicole Rawling

CEO, Material Innovation Initiative

Kelly Raymond

Kelly Raymond

Principal Scientist, Merck

Paul Reid

Paul Reid

U.S. Army DEVCOM, U.S. Army

Nigel Reuel

Nigel Reuel

Associate Professor, Iowa State University

Michael Roberts

Michael Roberts

Chief Scientist, ISS National Laboratory

Samantha Roberts

Samantha Roberts

Nanofabrication Facility Director, City University of New York

Stefan Roberts

Stefan Roberts

CEO, inSoma Bio, Inc.

Jennifer Rocha

Jennifer Rocha

Strategic Partnerships, TechConnect Division, ATI

Raphael Roettgen

Raphael Roettgen

Founding Partner, E2MC Ventures

Bart Romanowicz

Bart Romanowicz

Sr. Advisor, TechConnect Division, ATI

Emil Runge

Emil Runge

Director, Launch Chapel Hill

Chandan Sahu

Chandan Sahu

Research Scientist, ABB

Frank Salomone

Frank Salomone

Director of Small Business Research Grants, U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE's) Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC)

Robert Santiago

Robert Santiago

Senior Project Manager, CMTC, Advanced Technology International (ATI)

Michael Schmidt

Michael Schmidt

Professor, Medical University of South Carolina

Russell Schmitz

Russell Schmitz

R&D Engineer, 374Water

Larissa Shepherd

Larissa Shepherd

Assistant Professor, Cornell University

Richard Sheridan

Richard Sheridan

Research Scientist, Duke University

Brian Shipley

Brian Shipley

Program Manager, Navy

Maksim Shivokhin

Maksim Shivokhin

Polymer Innovation & Lightweighting strategist, ExxonMobil

Christopher Sims

Christopher Sims

Research Chemist, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Mari Anne Snow

Mari Anne Snow

CEO & Co-Founder, Eascra Biotech

Ryan Sochol

Ryan Sochol

Associate Professor, University of Maryland

Ben Solomon

Ben Solomon

Founder & CEO, FedTech

Sameer Sonkusale

Sameer Sonkusale

Professor, Tufts University

Steve Sopher

Steve Sopher

Executive Vice President, JSP

Heather Splawn

Heather Splawn

President and Founder, Kyma Technologies

Erik Spoerke

Erik Spoerke

Senior Analytics Advisor for Energy Storage, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Electricity

Vince Sprenkle

Vince Sprenkle

Senior Strategic Advisor, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Camille Stebbins

Camille Stebbins

Deputy Director and Program Manager, Advanced Technology International (ATI)

Kevin Stoll

Kevin Stoll

Chief Technology Officer, Critical Materials Recycling

Amy Stoltzfus

Amy Stoltzfus

Independent Consultant, Self-employed

Sasha Stolyarov

Sasha Stolyarov

CEO, AFFOA

Kristian Stout

Kristian Stout

Director, International Center for Law & Economics

Phillip Strader

Phillip Strader

RTNN Manager, North Carolina State University

Kristopher Strickland

Kristopher Strickland

Process Engineer, L3 Process Development

Anirudha V. Sumant

Anirudha V. Sumant

Scientist, Argonne National Laboratory

Sam Swan

Sam Swan

Researcher, Sandia National Laboratories

Esther Takeuchi

Esther Takeuchi

Professor, Stony Brook University

Matt Tamasi

Matt Tamasi

CTO, Plexymer, Inc.

Xiaoqi (Suki) Tang

Xiaoqi (Suki) Tang

Materials Engineer, Apple

Halil Tekinalp

Halil Tekinalp

R&D Scientist, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Jennifer Thabet

Jennifer Thabet

Office Director Small Business Programs Office, DARPA

Zeke Topolosky

Zeke Topolosky

Deputy, Army SBIR|STTR

Chuck Turick

Chuck Turick

Consultant, ElectrioBioDyne

Tzuen-Rong (Jeremy) Tzeng

Tzuen-Rong (Jeremy) Tzeng

Professor, Clemson University

Raymond Unocic

Raymond Unocic

Associate Professor, North Carolina State University

Abraham Vázquez-Guardado

Abraham Vázquez-Guardado

Assistant Professor, North Carolina State University

Sonia Vohnout

Sonia Vohnout

President & CEO, OppsSpot, LLC

Nicole Wagner

Nicole Wagner

President and CEO, LambdaVision

Lu Wang

Lu Wang

Assistant Professor, University of Tennessee

Meng Wang

Meng Wang

Associate Professor, University of Houston

Yichun Wang

Yichun Wang

Assistant Professor, University of Notre Dame

Taku Watanabe

Taku Watanabe

Principal researcher, Matlantis

Michael Webb

Michael Webb

Assistant Professor, Princeton University

Patrick Wellenius

Patrick Wellenius

Research Scholar, North Carolina State University

Sarah Wenning

Sarah Wenning

Executive Director, Event Operations, TechConnect Division, ATI

Lesley Wilhelm

Lesley Wilhelm

Action Officer - Wargaming, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (RDT&E), U.S. Navy

Gary Wilkes

Gary Wilkes

Senior Technology Advisor, Amylum Systems

John Williams

John Williams

Executive Director, Small Business Innovation Research Consortium (SBIRC)

Tim Willis

Tim Willis

Managing Director, Med1 Ventures

Bill Wisotsky

Bill Wisotsky

Principal Quantum Systems Architect, SAS

Christopher Wohl

Christopher Wohl

Assistant Branch Head, NASA Langley Research Center

Joanne Wong

Joanne Wong

General Partner, REDDS Capital

Michael Worley

Michael Worley

Economic Development Director, Alexander County Economic Development Corporation

Thaiesha Wright

Thaiesha Wright

Assistant Professor, University of California, Los Angeles

Candace Wright (invited)

Candace Wright (invited)

SBIR/STTR Program Lead, MDA

Xiaoji Xu

Xiaoji Xu

Professor, Stony Brook University (SUNY)

Dalia Yablon

Dalia Yablon

Technical Program Chair, TechConnect World Innovation Conference

Yalcin Yamaner

Yalcin Yamaner

CEO/Co-founder, Clearsens Inc.

Justin Yang

Justin Yang

Co-Founder, DMV Bio

Lingchong You

Lingchong You

Distinguished Professor, Duke University

Michelle Young

Michelle Young

Renewables Program Manager, Chevron

Jeff Youngblood

Jeff Youngblood

Professor, Purdue University

Helen Zha

Helen Zha

Assistant Professor, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Sen Zhang

Sen Zhang

Postdoctoral Entrepreneurship Fellow, University of Washington

Earl Armstrong

Naval Operational Energy Office, Tech Advisor, US Navy

Jeff Bowers

Procurement Specialist, Lockheed Martin

Orysia Buchan

Program Manager, Supplier Diversity, Lockheed Martin

Mireya McKee

Interim Director New Ventures and Partnerships, University of North Carolina

Sharon Soucek

Director of the Office of Technology Transfer, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)



SPONSORS & PARTNERS

logos

SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS

logos


 

2026 FEDERAL PARTNERS

2025 Federal Partners

© Copyright 2026 TechConnect. All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use