The Green Technology Innovation Fellows program, an interdisciplinary entrepreneurship and research translation initiative at the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, is proud to welcome its third cohort. The program has catalyzed the launch of ventures, forged industry partnerships, and expanded its network of alumni, mentors, and resources, driving real-world impact each year.
Developed to prepare participants to lead science-based startups that commercialize sustainable innovations, the program pairs graduate business students with researchers who are developing such innovations. Together, they collaborate to design and de-risk business models that translate science projects into impactful products and services.
“The Green Technology Innovation Fellows program is an impactful way the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business helps drive technology, entrepreneurship, and commercialization at Cornell, connecting business expertise with groundbreaking innovation,” said Gregory Ray, PhD ’14, program lead and senior lecturer at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management.
At the core of the program is Green Tech Innovation in Practice, a course in which teams participate in five workshop sessions from September to April as they de-risk business hypotheses derived from the researchers’ dissertation topics. The teams also receive regular guidance from seasoned entrepreneurs, investors, and faculty members as they learn to test assumptions, evaluate market dynamics, and build entrepreneurial judgment.
Upon completing the program, participants will have the entrepreneurial training, judgment, and mindset required to lead novel startups in the clean energy and climate technology fields.
“During my PhD, I’ve developed a simple and accessible approach to monitor microplastics in water, and now I’m eager to bridge the gap between scientific innovation and real-world impact. This program represents an invaluable opportunity to learn the fundamental rules of entrepreneurship, particularly within the climate and sustainability sector where my research naturally fits”, said Fiona Mukherjee, a PhD candidate in Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Cornell’s College of Arts and Sciences.
“I’m looking forward to understanding how to effectively commercialize technologies like mine, transforming laboratory breakthroughs into solutions that can actually address environmental challenges at scale. The technical expertise is there, but I recognize that successful entrepreneurship requires a completely different set of skills and insights.”
“I hope to learn more about clean energy, sustainability, and the exciting technologies emerging in the space,” said Nicholas Egyir, MBA ‘26. “I look forward to the opportunity to contribute to meaningful projects and support the push toward a low-carbon future.”
Meet the Green Technology Innovation Fellows
Meet all the members of the third Green Technology Innovation Fellows cohort:
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- Ian Akisoglu, MBA ‘26 (Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management)
- Nicholas Behrens, PhD candidate, Electrical & Computer Engineering (College of Engineering)
- Jingjie Du, PhD candidate in Nutrition Sciences (College of Human Ecology)
- Nicholas Egyir, MBA ‘26 (Johnson School, SC Johnson College)
- João Fantacini, MBA ‘26 (Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management)
- Mariana Ferreira, MBA ‘26 (Johnson School, SC Johnson College)
- Samuel Herr, PhD candidate in Plant Breeding and Genetics (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences)
- Haowen Hu, PhD candidate in Animal Science (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences)
- Anirudh Keni, MBA ‘26 (Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management)
- Hashaam Tahir Khan, MBA ’26 (Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management)
- Phillip Lanza, PhD candidate in Soils and Crop Sciences (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences)
- Anna Liu, MBA ‘26 (Johnson School, SC Johnson College)
- Fiona Mukherjee, PhD candidate in Chemistry and Chemical Biology (College of Arts and Sciences)
- Olivia Murphy, PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering (College of Engineering)
- Maida Qadir, MBA ’26 (Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management)
- Rouzbeh Rahai, PhD candidate in Design and Environmental Analysis (College of Human Ecology)
- Amay Rathi, MS, Advanced Architectural Design ’26
- Sabyasachi Sen, PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering (College of Engineering)
- Philip Spencer, MBA ‘26 (Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management)
- Emma Xue, MBA ’26 (SC Johnson College of Business)
- Chenyun Yuan, PhD candidate in Materials Science & Engineering (College of Engineering)
- Haziq Zainudin, EMBA ‘26 (Johnson School, SC Johnson College)
Managed by the Center for Regional Economic Advancement, the Green Technology Innovation Fellows program is primarily funded by the SC Johnson College and the Johnson School, with added support from a Zalaznick Teaching Assistantship Award from Entrepreneurship at Cornell.
Green Technology Innovation Fellows will earn a certificate from the Johnson School upon successfully completing the program, which generally takes two to three semesters. Applications for next year’s cohort will open in November on the Green Technology Innovation Fellows program webpage.
