Life Sciences & Health Innovation Hub

The Life Sciences and Health Innovation Hub brings the full breadth of The Roux Institute’s resources to bear across education, talent, research, partnerships, and venture development. The hub serves as both a gateway to Maine’s broader innovation ecosystem and a connection to Northeastern University’s global network.

These resources accelerate innovation in life sciences and health by helping organizations move ideas from discovery to deployment through access to talent, expertise, infrastructure, and strategic partnerships.

“Membership in the BioCoLab marks an exciting milestone for Salmonics as we expand our research and product development capabilities and continue bringing novel, sustainable solutions to laboratories,” said Salmonics Founder, CEO, and President, Dr. Cem Giray. “With the support of the Roux Institute’s expert community and access to equipment currently unavailable in our facilities, we’re positioned to accelerate innovation and deliver better tools for researchers everywhere.”

“We’ve learned that technology alone isn’t enough—you need to be hands-on in care delivery to truly make an impact. And The Roux helped us learn that pivot.” Claire Baskin, CEO, Empallo a Roux Incubator portfolio

“This experience will undoubtedly broaden my perspective on healthcare and further solidify my commitment to making a positive impact” – Thomas Trundy, Gap-Year Program Participant

“A cornerstone of our Incubator is its unique approach to growing companies using partnership, research, clinical validation, and mentorship, all backed by a leading university,” said Brondolo. “Together, we’re finding opportunities to become collectively more competitive and deliver meaningful healthcare innovations to Maine communities and beyond.” – Elena Brondolo, Director, Health & Life Sciences Venture Creation

About the Hub

The Life Sciences & Health Innovation Hub brings together the people, infrastructure, and expertise needed to move ideas from discovery to real-world impact.

What We Do:

Accelerate Innovation – Support the full lifecycle of technology development from basic sciences to translation and venture creation, with laboratory services, computational capabilities, technical validation, and startup support

Develop Talent – Train the next generation of leaders through graduate programs in biotechnology, data science, and computational health

Connect Ecosystems – Convene researchers, entrepreneurs, health and life sciences leaders, industry partners, and communities to solve pressing challenges

Drive Impact – Translate breakthrough research into practical innovations and accelerate start-up solutions that strengthen that spur job creation, economic development, and impact

Future of Healthcare 2024 Kickoff

Interested?

Whether you’re a researcher, student, entrepreneur, or industry professional, there’s a place for you in our community of innovators. Connect with us!

2030 Strategic Goals

The premier hub

Become Northern New England’s premier applied life sciences & health innovation hub

200 startups

Catalyze 200 Life Sciences & Health startups by 2030

1,000 learners

Equip 1,000 life sciences and health learners with essential skills by 2030

Key Focus Areas

Pioneering research and innovation across multiple disciplines within life sciences and health to address the world’s most pressing challenges through impactful solutions.

Rural Health

Addressing healthcare disparities and access challenges in underserved communities through innovative care delivery models and technology-enabled solutions tailored to rural populations.

Health Tech Solutions

Catalyzing and deploying AI-powered tools and digital health innovations that enhance clinical decision-making, streamline operations, and improve patient outcomes across healthcare systems.

Biotechnology

Advancing technologies from diagnostic development to new bioplastics.

Computational Biology & Data Science

Leveraging advanced computational methods, machine learning, and multi-omics data analysis to accelerate biological discovery and enable precision medicine approaches.

Hub Team

Allyson Barker

Allyson Barker

Senior Program Manager, Future of Healthcare Founder Residency

Candice Byers

Candice Byers

Research Scientist

Elena Brondolo

Elena Brondolo

Director, Future of Healthcare Founder Residency

Elena Coronado

Elena Coronado

Director of Partnerships

Jennifer Fitz

Jennifer Fitz

BioPILOT Lab Manager

Aileen Huang-Saad

Aileen Huang-Saad

Director of Life Sciences, Health, & Engineering; Associate...

Christine Lary

Christine Lary

Research Associate Professor

Bill Lenart

Bill Lenart

Research Scientist

Christopher Okonkwo

Christopher Okonkwo

Assistant Teaching Professor

Michael Pollastri

Michael Pollastri

Senior Vice Provost and Academic Lead

Samuel Scarpino

Samuel Scarpino

Director of AI + Life Sciences, Institute for...

Kathy Simmonds

Kathy Simmonds

Clinical Professor

Eugene Tunik, PhD

Eugene Tunik, PhD

Senior Associate Dean of Research and Innovation; Professor,...

Michael Wilczek

Michael Wilczek

Assistant Teaching Professor, Biotechnology/Bioinformatics

Executives in Residence

Jeff Chu

Jeff Chu

Managing Partner @ Features Capital | MedTech Innovator...

Tony DiMarco, PhD

Tony DiMarco, PhD

Mentor In Residence at the Roux Institute

Todd Haedrich

Todd Haedrich

Chief Executive Officer at Optimize Health

Enoch Huang, PhD

Enoch Huang, PhD

Mentor In Residence at the Roux Institute

S.K. Lee

S.K. Lee

Investor, Coach, Founder

Philip Licari

Philip Licari, MBA

Entrepreneur In Residence at the Roux Institute; Part-time...

Jennifer Monti, MD

Jennifer Monti, MD

Cardiologist and Research Scientist at Meta

Lizzy Mulcahy

Lizzy Mulcahy

Director of Telehealth at MaineHealth

David Shoemaker, PhD

David Shoemaker, PhD

Regulatory Consultant

JOIN OUR MISSION

Whether you’re a researcher, student, entrepreneur, or industry professional, there’s a place for you in our community of innovators. Connect with us!