BU Ignition Award Winners Aim for Real-World Impact

Annual honors support innovative Boston University research projects preparing to leap from lab to commercialization

Boston University’s Ignition Awards, administered by BU Technology Development within the Office of Research, recognize faculty-led projects poised to move groundbreaking ideas from lab to real-world impact. This year’s winners include several Hariri Institute faculty affiliates, showcasing the Institute’s role in advancing interdisciplinary innovation at BU. Each awardee receives financial support and yearlong mentorship from an advisory committee of technical and business experts to help navigate commercialization challenges.

“The program highlights BU’s role as a growing innovation hub and serves as a bridge between academic discovery and real-world solutions,” says Melinda Shockley, BU’s executive director of faculty entrepreneurship.

Seven projects received IGNITION awards this year. Among this year’s winners are Hariri Faculty Affiliates:

• Ayse Coşkun (ENG, CISE Director) who is pioneering energy-efficient data center systems that reduce power consumption without compromising performance;
• Selim Ünlü (ENG) who is advancing more efficient, higher-quality tissue imaging;
• Jörg Werner (ENG) Institute affiliate) who is developing fast-charging, high-energy batteries through a novel cell architecture; and
• Xuezhou “Jack” Zhang (CDS) who with Professor Adrian Whitty (CAS), is combining machine learning with chemistry to design new medicines.

The Ignition Awards provide funding, mentorship, and access to industry connections to help researchers refine innovations, assess market potential, and bring transformative ideas to life.

Learn more about all the awardees and their projects in the The Brink story, “BU Ignition Award Winners Aim for Real-World Impact.”