Purdue Innovates and three Purdue University colleges have announced the latest Commercialization Fellowship cohort. The fellowship provides recent Ph.D. graduates and postdoctoral researchers an opportunity to advance the commercialization of Purdue-owned intellectual property through startup creation or licensing to industry.
Working alongside faculty inventors, each fellow will help move Purdue innovations closer to real-world impact by advancing technologies toward commercialization pathways. Their work is based on intellectual property disclosed to the Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization, part of Purdue Innovates’ unified network supporting intellectual property protection, technology commercialization, startup creation, and funding.
Learn more about the fellows translating Purdue discoveries into world-changing impact in 2026:
Faculty Advisor: Jonathan D. Hood
Christian Lange
Advances in light generation have historically unlocked major technological breakthroughs, from radar to lasers and fiber-optic communications. Lange is working on the next leap forward: a deterministic single-photon source, or “photon gun,” that can generate quantum light on demand.
His team is developing this next-generation light source capable of emitting one photon at a time with precise control. While the technology has many applications, Lange sees the largest near-term opportunity in quantum computing. Quantum computers are advancing rapidly, but connecting multiple together remains challenging. The single-photon emitter could help tether them together to create scalable quantum supercomputers, accelerating the development of practical quantum computing.
Related: Purdue College of Science team’s quantum optics discovery featured in Nature Physics
We are at a point where decades of quantum research can finally be converted into useful technology. I’m excited to use the fellowship to leverage a team with deep entrepreneurial and commercialization experience who can coach us and help bridge the gap from the lab to the real world.
Christian Lange
Purdue University College of Science
Faculty Advisor: Brock Harpur
Dylan Ryals
Honeybee breeding plays a critical role in colony health, pollination success, and agricultural resilience. Ryals is developing Genobee, a genetics-driven service platform that helps honeybee breeders make more informed breeding decisions. By applying breeding and genetic analysis methods already common in cattle and crop breeding into a practical tool for commercial use, Genobee aims to help breeders select for healthier, more productive, and more resilient colonies.
Drawing on firsthand experience in commercial beekeeping, Ryals hopes entrepreneurship will be the most direct path to industry impact, translating research into tools that can be adopted by commercial breeders and improve bee populations at scale.
We’re already using many of the university’s top-notch facilities. Purdue also has a deep pedigree with honeybee genetics, including developing the Mite Biter breed. Participating in that legacy would be an honor and I hope Genobee can be a next step in that shared history.
Dylan Ryals
Purdue University College of Agriculture
Faculty Advisor: Severin T. Schneebeli
Brenson Jassim
Peptide therapeutics can offer highly effective treatments, but many struggle with challenges such as stability and delivery. Jassim is developing chemically modified peptide therapeutics with naturally occurring organ-protective properties to improve their stability, selectivity, and effectiveness as a drug candidate. Initial work is focused on treating kidney damage associated with major heart surgery, but the technology has far-reaching implications for other organs and uses.
Combining expertise in drug development, manufacturing, regulatory science, and commercialization, Jassim is focused on advancing therapies from the laboratory toward real-world use.
Through previous training and the pursuit of a master’s in biotechnology innovation and regulatory science, I have built expertise across the full pharmaceutical value chain, from drug discovery and development to regulatory strategy and commercialization. This fellowship will equip me to lead high-performing, cross-functional teams, navigate complex product development pathways, and transform innovative science into impactful ventures that deliver meaningful benefits to patients.
Brenson Jassim
To learn more about the fellowship and previous cohorts, visit the Purdue Innovates website.
About Purdue Innovates
Purdue Innovates is a unified network at Purdue Research Foundation to assist Purdue faculty, staff, students and alumni in either IP commercialization or startup creation. As a conduit to technology commercialization, intellectual property protection and licensing, startup creation and funding, Purdue Innovates serves as the front door to translate new ideas into world-changing impact.
For more information on licensing a Purdue innovation, contact the Office of Technology Commercialization at otcip@prf.org. For more information about involvement and investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact Purdue Innovates at purdueinnovates@prf.org.
Media contact: Polly Barks, phbarks@prf.org
