The Innovation Bridge Series

Welcome to the 2022-2023 series that will help you discover many aspects of innovation and the entrepreneurial mindset.  The series is open to all students and postdoctoral fellows who want to explore how their skillset can open opportunities, whether it is to start a new initiative themselves or to assist other organizations in successful ventures.

Students and postdoctoral fellows are in a unique position - talented, creative, analytical, problem solvers, innovators - yet, they rarely rank themselves high in their business acumen. Having an entrepreneurial mindset has a far greater scope than starting a business that sells a product or service. Innovation, creativity, and an entrepreneurial mindset are what is needed to create solid policies, develop new processes and establish best practices. These are the skills that graduate programs build and can be transferred to any organization.

The Innovation Bridge Series will take you on a journey of exploring questions that relate to the entrepreneurial mindset and will help you bridge your skills with the larger entrepreneurial ecosystem that needs you.

How to get engaged in entrepreneurship – Dr. David Bressler (1 Hour PD Credit)

Date: May 24, 2023 | 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. MST
Open to all members of the campus community (students, postdocs, faculty, and staff)

Register on campusBRIDGE | Zoom Link

Overview: 

If you are a graduate student or postdoctoral scholar at the University of Alberta considering entrepreneurship as a career option, you may be feeling uncertain about transitioning from an academic environment to the business world. You might be eager to learn from individuals who have successfully bridged this world, such as Dr. David Bressler, and who has had many students/pdfs successfully make the transition. Attend this session to hear about his personal experiences moving into entrepreneurship and his perspective on its viability for graduate students and postdocs. He will also be sharing some recommendations for those of you considering start-ups.

Presenter:

Dr. David Bressler is the Associate Dean of Research and a Full Professor appointed within the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences where he studies the conversion of biomass to valuable materials and chemicals. His general area of research is the industrial application of chemical, thermal, and biological systems for the conversion of biomass into higher-value materials, chemicals, and value-added commodities. He is also the inventor and technology founder behind Forge Hydrocarbons, a novel thermochemical lipid-to-hydrocarbon-based technology company, with internationally awarded patents, that has commenced building commercial facilities in Sombra Ontario with expected completion in 2022. Dr. Bressler was named to Canada’s Clean 50 for 2017 being named one of the top 50 people in cleantech in Canada.

The next series will begin in October 2023

  Previous Presentations

  • October 28, 2020 What Is the World of Creativity, Innovation, and ET? with Drs. Deborah James and Tony Briggs
  • November 12, 2020 Now What? Developing Your Innovation with Luke Butterworth
  • January 27, 2021 Finding Your Place in the World of Innovation and Entrepreneurship with Mark Benning
  • February 17, 2021 Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Building the Team and Network for Success with Sandra Spencer
  • March 17, 2021 Using Your Passion to Build a Sustainable Community Venture with Omar Yaqub
  • April 21, 2021 Is Consulting a Career For You? with Julianna Cantwell
  • May 5, 2021 Mitacs Entrepreneurship Accelerate Opportunity with Trevor Wiltzen, Dr. Eric Loo, Dr. Amirreza Sohrabi, and Dr. Matt Baron Anderson
  • September 29, 2021 Innovation for Emerging Scholars with Dr. Tony Briggs 
  • October 27, 2021 Making the World a Better Place with Matt Moreau
  • November 24, 2021 What do I do with my idea? With Manish Jha
  • January 26, 2022 Do you have the 'innovation" gene? with Jane Halford
  • February 3, 2022 Leading Within with Marian Gayed
  • March 23, 2022 Accelerators, Incubators, Scale-up and Seed Stage Start-Ups with Dr. Paramita Chaudhuri Basu
  • April 23, 2022 Building a Team for Success with Sandra Spencer
  • September 21, 2022  Innovation for Emerging Scholars with Dr. Tony Briggs 
  • October 19, 2022 Venture Capitalist Journey with Dr. Moein Giashi
  • November 23, 2022 Intellectual Property, Tech Transfer, and Another Piece of the Puzzle with Dr. Quang Tran
  • January 25, 2023 How to Raise Funds with Dr. Paramita Chaudhuri Basu
  • February 15, 2023 A Risky Path with Evan Hu
  • March 29, 2023 So You Want To Be a Consultant with Kristina Polziehn
  • April 26, 2023 Do You Want To Serve Your Community? How About Social Entrepreneurship? with Dr. Leo Wong