Office For Research Hosts Third-Annual Rutgers Innovation Awards Banquet

The 2026 Rutgers Innovation Awards (RIA) banquet was a star-studded affair, as university leadership, industry partners, and state representatives were among the over 200 attendees, all of whom were there to celebrate Rutgers research and honor this year’s RIA recipients.

In their third year, the Rutgers Innovation Awards (RIA) recognize researchers who have demonstrated excellence by developing a breakthrough idea, process, or technology that has the potential to benefit society and create economic value. Representing all four Chancellor-led units, the winners were selected by a group of external experts based on novelty, competitive advantage, impact, utility, socio-economic value of the innovation, and significance of the problem solved.

Following remarks from Rutgers senior vice president for research and head of the Office for Research Michael E. Zwick, PhD, Rutgers President William F. Tate IV, PhD, and assemblyman Christopher Tully, Zwick and executive director of Technology Transfer Deborah Perez Fernandez, PhD, MBA, presented the awards to the ten 2026 RIA-winning research teams.

“Academic research is critical in addressing the challenges of today and tomorrow. Just as important is the investment and support of that research, from the university, the state, industry, and foundations,” said Tate. "The Rutgers Innovation Awards banquet brought all four groups together, and the awards reflect the impact of those collaborations. These 10 research teams highlight the incredible work that is happening across Rutgers, and I know they will continue to create new innovations to make this world a better place for us all.” 

“This year's Innovation Awardees exemplify rigorous, intentional approaches to complex challenges, ones that advance knowledge and strengthen Rutgers' academic reputation,” said Keena Arbuthnot, PhD, executive vice president for academic affairs. “Their work also creates meaningful opportunities for our students and scholars to explore bold ideas, deepen their expertise, and contribute to research with real societal impact.”

“New Jersey’s reputation as an engine of breakthrough innovation is no accident. It is the direct result of sustained investment in higher education, world-class research institutions, and, above all, visionary people,” said Tully. “This year’s Rutgers Innovation Award honorees exemplify that commitment. These scholars and scientists aren't just contributing to their fields but are actively shaping the future. It was an honor to celebrate their work, and I extend my warmest congratulations to every recipient on this well-earned recognition.”

“The Rutgers Innovation Awards banquet is a fantastic celebration of what makes Rutgers research great: the nexus of faculty, staff, and students, working together to solve the problems facing the world,” said Zwick. “We are thrilled that Dr. Tate, Dr. Arbuthnot, and Assemblyman Tully were able to join us as we recognized just some of the amazing innovations coming out of the university. Congratulations to all of the winners, and we can’t wait to see what you accomplish next.”

Each Innovation Award team was given a plaque for the lead investigator and certificates for the team members. The RIA also celebrated researchers who received patents as well as those who developed non-patent intellectual property in FY26 with plaques, and the Tech Transfer Trainees from fiscal year 2026 with certificates.

“The Rutgers Innovation Awards was a fantastic event, made possible by a fantastic organizing team,” said Deborah Perez Fernandez, PhD, MBA, executive director of the Technology Transfer unit within the Office for Research. “We would also like to thank our amazing reviewers and sponsors, without whom the event wouldn’t be possible. I congratulate all the winners, and our team and I look forward to working with Rutgers Innovators to protect and potentially commercialize their future innovations.” 

Learn more about the 2026 Rutgers Innovation Awards.

The 2026 Rutgers Innovation Award winners:

Undergraduate Student Innovation Award: Tiya Bordia, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers-New Brunswick (team: Ben Yavin, Darshini Ajithkumar, Andrew Ikemoto)

• An AI-powered drone called Safenet that uses thermal-sensing sensors and a mini-EKG (electrocardiogram) on board to locate victims, monitor vital signs, build 3D maps of hazardous zones, establish paths safe for human rescuers, and autonomously deliver first-aid kits in the key 72 ‘golden’ hours following a natural disaster.

Graduate Student Innovation Award: Bin Tan, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers Health (team: Jun Wang, Hiwot Demssie, Prakash Jadhav)

• An antiviral portfolio that addresses three distinct viral families – MERS-CoV (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), Enterovirus D68, and Chikungunya virus – by combining advanced computer-guided drug design with a ‘Direct-to-Biology’ testing platform for a highly scalable therapeutic pipeline.

Postdoctoral Fellow Innovation Award: Mengmeng Jin, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers-New Brunswick

• A transformative regenerative medicine strategy for Alzheimer's disease and related neurodegenerative disorders through a first-in-class programmable microglial cell therapy platform capable of both neuroprotection and neuronal regeneration.

Early Career Innovator Award: Youwen Zhang, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers-Camden

• A solid-state nanopore platform capable of detecting proteins at the single-molecule level, which could revolutionize the advancement of medical and biological research.

Physical Sciences and Engineering Innovation Award: KiBum Lee, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers-New Brunswick

• A next-generation 3D-hybrid nanoscaffold that unifies regenerative scaffolding, programmable drug and gene delivery, and real-time theranostic monitoring within a single biodegradable platform for central nervous system injuries and neurological disorders.

Health Sciences and Biomedical Innovation Award: Arash Hatefi, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers Health

• A first-in-class, conditionally immortalized, monoclonal, and traceable Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) platform as an off-the-shelf cell source for the delivery of biologics, which could have broad applications in biomedicine.

Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation Award: Subhajyoti De, Rutgers Cancer Institute, Rutgers Health

• A rapid, low-cost, sensitive diagnostic platform (OncoFloraRT) designed to detect cancer-associated microbiomes non-invasively from blood or urine to deliver sensitive, low-cost microbial detection and capture tumor microbial dysbiosis accurately and quickly.

Social Innovation Award: Peter Hepburn, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers-Newark

• The Eviction Tracking System (ETS), which collects and analyzes eviction cases in real time, data that has proven vital during and beyond the Coronavirus pandemic and is used by journalists, advocates, policymakers, planners, and researchers.

Agriculture Innovation Award: James Simon, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers-New Brunswick (team: Alex Barrett, Lara Brindisi, Rong Di, Ramu Govindasamy, Kathryn Homa, Rodolfo Juliani, Shashikant Kotwal, Utsav Kumar, Michael Lawton, Robert Mattera III, Ava Medberry, Robert Pyne, Dena Seidel, Beverly Tepper, Qingi Wu, Andrew Wyenandt)

• Award-winning basil varieties developed through a pioneering breeding program focused on resistance to downy mildew, a major threat to basil production, with subsequent advances in engineering other traits, such as tolerance to cold and chilling stress.

Startup Innovation Award: Ariane Vasilatis and Eileen Carry, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers Health (team: Jacques Roberge, Nicholas Bellow, James Simon)

• A startup company working to develop safer medications that could minimize or even eliminate overdoses from prescription drugs used across mental health, neurology, and addiction medicine.

Thank you to the 2026 Rutgers Innovation Awards sponsors!