PROVIDENCE – A researcher from Brown University and a researcher from the University of Rhode Island have joined the Slater Technology Fund’s board of directors.
The venture capital investment firm last week announced that it has welcomed Kimani Toussaint, a professor and dean in Brown’s School of Engineering, and Bethany Jenkins, a professor and vice president for research and economic development at URI, as its latest members.
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Toussaint’s research has centered on applying complex biomedical engineering, signal processing and imaging to real-world solutions, the firm said in its announcement.
“Engineering isn’t just about theory – it’s about building things that work,” Toussaint said. “I want to make sure the next generation of transformative technology is real, scalable and game-changing.”
Jenkins specializes in molecular biology, oceanography and economic development, and calls the state’s universities “incubators of tomorrow’s industries.”
“My work is about connecting those discoveries with the resources, strategy and guidance to turn them into ventures that define the future,” Jenkins said.
Slater Technology Fund Managing Director Thorne Sparkman said that Toussaint and Jenkins will sharpen the firm’s presence in the academic sphere.
“We’re excited to have the opportunity to work with two such accomplished university researchers,” Sparkman said. “Both have excelled not only in their respective research fields but also in their passion for seeing research applied to address problems in the broader community, which is exactly where the Slater Technology Fund sees opportunity. Their fingers are on the pulse of the entrepreneurship in academia.”
Slater, an evergreen nonprofit seed fund, was founded in Rhode Island more than 20 years ago and is the state’s largest venture capital fund.
Jacquelyn Voghel is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Voghel@PBN.com.
