Handa named Innovation Fellow

Hitesh Handa

Hitesh Handa

Hitesh Handa, an assistant professor in the School of Chemical, Materials and Biomedical Engineering, has been selected as one of UGA’s two inaugural Innovation Fellows for fall 2019. Throughout the semester, Handa and fellow Innovation Fellow Jenay Beer of the Institute of Gerontology will receive a crash course in technology commercialization and learn how they can shape their research programs to more effectively align with industry priorities and, ultimately, serve the public’s needs.

Announced by President Jere W. Morehead in his 2019 State of the University Address, the Innovation Fellows program is intended not only to help faculty commercialize their own research but also introduce them to UGA’s broader Innovation District initiative. After their fellowships end, participants will be encouraged to serve as informal “innovation ambassadors” in their home departments.

Handa focuses on developing new biocompatible coating materials for medical implant applications. The recipient of an Early Career Scholar Award at UGA’s 2019 Research Awards, Handa and his research group have generated 12 patent disclosures in a three-year period, and in 2018 he founded his own startup, inNOveta Biomedical LLC.

“My lab in the College of Engineering is committed to developing nitric oxide-based hemocompatible and antimicrobial coatings for medical device applications through highly interdisciplinary research,” Handa said. “The Innovation Fellows program will immensely help me in advancing my efforts to commercialize our technology and increase our chances to partner with leading medical device companies in the country.”

Learn more: t.uga.edu/5aH

By Michael Terrazas
Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski


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