Faculty making impact

Keller Center entrepreneurial faculty member Shahram Hejazi has been appointed Managing Director and CEO of BioAdvance at a critical period in the growth of this early-stage life sciences fund. BioAdvance is committed to supporting an ecosystem that fosters innovations with the potential to improve human health.

Hejazi's scholarship, leadership, and wealth of entrepreneurial experience are a perfect blend for his new role. Keller Center Director Naveen Verma noted that the intersection of academic research and entrepreneurship is an ideal blend at Princeton.

"BioAdvance is exactly the right kind of innovation partner for Princeton – one who values the transformative impact of differentiated technologies and is committed to solving hard problems. Dr. Hejazi has been a thought leader at both Princeton and BioAdvance, and their recent announcement validates and fortifies the synergies, in terms of real-world impact, between university research and entrepreneurship," said Verma.

Hejazi's course, Venture Capital & Finance Innovation focuses on the essential role of investment capital in fueling entrepreneurship and teaches students the dynamics in creating innovation; having leadership that understands the complexities and relationships between the finance sector and the entrepreneurial ecosystem is a great asset.

"Since a key part of our mission at BioAdvance will be to provide support for entrepreneurial academics, we look forward to working with Princeton's stellar faculty and students to foster innovation that would have real-world and transformational impact on human health," said Hejazi.

Read the news release.