We are pleased to announce that Professor Cynthia Goh has been selected as the inaugural Academic Director of the Banting and Best Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (BBCIE), the central coordinating office for student-related entrepreneurial activity across the three campuses of the University, effective to June 30, 2021.

Professor Goh is a physical chemist, cross-appointed to the Departments of Chemistry and Materials Science & Engineering, the Institute of Medical Science, and the Munk School of Global Affairs. She received her PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles, and carried out postdoctoral fellowships at Columbia University and the University of California, Berkeley, prior to taking a faculty position at the University of Toronto. She is interested in the interactions of large molecules, which has impact on nanotechnology, biomaterials, and biodiagnostics.

Professor Goh is an experienced U of T academic recognized for both her scholarship and entrepreneurial activities. Currently the Director of the Impact Centre, she has demonstrated her passion for the translation of scientific discovery to technology and products that benefit society, the training of scientist-entrepreneurs, and the development of technology for low-resource settings. Her interest in the education of scientist-entrepreneurs led her to introduce a non-credit seminar in the Department of Chemistry, which has evolved into the MaRS Discovery District’s flagship training program, Entrepreneurship 101. She led the creation of the Impact Centre’s Techno training program, an intensive hands-on entrepreneurship training program for scientists, which has led to the creation of numerous start-ups based on university research. She has also co-founded seven tech-based companies with her students.

As Academic Director, Professor Goh will support the goals of BBCIE and our academic units to enhance entrepreneurial activity at the University. In collaboration with the BBCIE Managing Director, the Assistant Vice-President, Innovation, Partnerships & Entrepreneurship, and the BBCIE Management Committee, Professor Goh will facilitate opportunities for collaboration on academic programs and courses across the campus-led accelerators (CLAs) and academic divisions, identify opportunities for cross-divisional initiatives and development of funding proposals, as well as foster discussions with external parties to build relationships and secure funding for the development and strengthening of U of T’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Please join us in welcoming Professor Goh in her new role.