Jessica Sharon

Senior director of innovation programs and new ventures
MBA alumna, class of 2008

Turning ideas into action is what makes UofL a research and innovation powerhouse, and Jessica Sharon is all about the action.

As senior director of innovation programs and new ventures, Sharon leads UofL’s translational and innovation grant programs, which are focused on helping turn the research happening at the university into products and eventually bringing those products to market.

Her role means Sharon ’08 is always on the move seeking out opportunities for researchers across campus who have the next big idea but need assistance to make it happen.

“We are figuring out how to get the research beyond our campus, beyond our community and actually address real problems in people’s lives,” Sharon said.

The acceleration and advancement in research has grown rapidly at UofL.

“UofL has broken down barriers to do multidisciplinary research,” she said. “Over the last 15 years UofL has really had a culture shift in terms of doing research for impact, and really driving an impact beyond what was historically seen as success.”

Several of the projects underway in Sharon’s office are for healthcare-affiliated products funded by companies such as The National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), Economic Development Administration and the Coulter Translational Partnership.

The products designed vary greatly, covering different aspects of the medical field from traditional pharmaceutical products, medical devices, and diagnostics to social innovations that are driven to help human health.

One of the most fascinating and influential products designed by the innovation program is the pediatric treadmill system for locomotor training of children with spinal cord injury, which is now officially on the market.

“One of the most profound moments at this point in my career was watching kids use this device that we funded and its helping them to get better,” Sharon said. “This will extend the reach of our research at UofL to perhaps go nationwide and even worldwide to help kids with spinal cord injury.”

Expanding innovation nationwide is another of Sharon’s main missions. She is instrumental in two innovation-based hubs – the NSF Mid-South Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Hub focused on entrepreneurship and the Mid-South Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub (REACH) centered on biomedicalUofL is a leader in the translational research space, building momentum and experience since 2012 and is currently the only institution in the country to offer such a comprehensive suite of projects.

UofL is working with several regional partner universities on I-Corps and REACH, and Sharon believes collaboration and a strong entrepreneurial community is key to action.

“This community learns from each other, supports each other, enhances opportunities for entrepreneurial training and gets our teams in front of investors,” she said.

With Sharon’s leadership and the university’s commitment to turning ideas into action, UofL is creating thriving futures.

“I think the university has had an open mind, wanting to accelerate product development, see our impact in the world and push to drive that culture change across the university.”