09/23
2026
Founders Fireside Chat: Inaugural Conversation
3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Biddeford Campus (Ripich Commons 104)
Karen Houseknecht, PhD. Vice President for Research and Innovation
Join us for the inaugural Founders Fireside Chat, a new series connecting the ³ÉÈËÖ±²¥ community with biotechnology founders for candid conversations about entrepreneurship, innovation, and the realities of bringing ideas from the lab to the marketplace.
This first session features a conversation between Karen Houseknecht, Ph.D., ³ÉÈËÖ±²¥'s Vice President for Research and Innovation and Senior Associate Provost, and Scott Wood, Ph.D., Director of Biotechnology Training and Innovation at ³ÉÈËÖ±²¥ and Founder and CTO of CellField Technologies. Together, they'll discuss career paths, lessons learned in building a biotech startup, and what it really takes to move an idea beyond academia into commercialization. Students, staff, faculty, and community members are all welcome to attend. This is the first in a monthly series — stay tuned for future Fireside Chats featuring founders from across Maine's innovation community.
This first session features a conversation between Karen Houseknecht, Ph.D., ³ÉÈËÖ±²¥'s Vice President for Research and Innovation and Senior Associate Provost, and Scott Wood, Ph.D., Director of Biotechnology Training and Innovation at ³ÉÈËÖ±²¥ and Founder and CTO of CellField Technologies. Together, they'll discuss career paths, lessons learned in building a biotech startup, and what it really takes to move an idea beyond academia into commercialization. Students, staff, faculty, and community members are all welcome to attend. This is the first in a monthly series — stay tuned for future Fireside Chats featuring founders from across Maine's innovation community.
Contact
Scott Wood, PhD
Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship