Office of Research and Innovation Town Hall 2026

2026-11-09

November 9, 2026

9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Kellogg Center and Zoom

The Office of Research and Innovation will host its second ORI Town Hall on Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, at the Kellogg Center.

The Town Hall brings together members of the ORI community, faculty researchers, research administrators, and university partners for a day of updates, conversation, and connection centered on MSU’s research enterprise.

Attendees will have an opportunity to hear directly from ORI leadership about priorities, initiatives, opportunities, and challenges shaping research at MSU; learn more about resources, services, partnerships, and efforts supporting researchers; and engage in dialogue about the issues and opportunities affecting our research community.

In-person participation is strongly encouraged to support meaningful discussion, networking, and relationship-building throughout the day. A virtual option via Zoom will be available for those who are unable to attend in person or prefer to participate remotely.

Registration is requested for all attendees. The registration process will also provide an opportunity to share questions and perspectives in advance of the Town Hall, helping ORI leadership understand the topics that are most important to the community.

Event Registration

Agenda

Time	Session	Featured Speakers
8 – 9 a.m.	Check-In and Breakfast
9 – 9:05 a.m.	Welcome
9:05 – 9:40 a.m.	The Future of Research at MSU: Opportunities, Challenges and Growth	Shashank Priya, Vice President for Research and Innovation
9:40 – 10:15 a.m.	Spartan Innovation District Panel Discussion	Jeff Smith, Director of Research Parks, MSU Research Foundation Sherri Jett, Assistant Vice President – Real Estate and Capital Planning/Utilities, Infrastructure Planning and Facilities, MSU Tony Lambert, CTO, TechSmith Moderator: Dave Washburn, CEO, MSU Research Foundation
10:15-10:45 a.m.	Break
10:45 – 11:30 a.m.	From the Lab to the Marketplace: AgriDynamics Robotics	Zhaojian Li, Co-Founder and CEO, AgriDynamics Robotics Kyle Lammers, Co-Founder and CTO, AgriDynamics Robotics Tom Herlache, Senior Innovation Manager and Assistant Director for Commercialization, MSU Technologies, Innovation Center Moderator: Joe Affholter, Commercialization Program Director, Translational Funding Initiatives & MTRAC AgBio Innovation Hub, MSU
11:30 – 11:50 a.m.	Research and Innovation: The Story of Motmot	Elliot Smith, CEO, Motmot Demetris Coleman, CTO and Co-Founder
11:50 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.	Catalyzing Discovery: The Power of Internal Research Funding	Safoi Babana-Hampton, Professor of French and Francophone Studies Federica Brandizzi, MSU Research Foundation and Hannah Distinguished Professor, Director of the MSU-Department of Energy Plant Research Laboratory Dohun Pyeon, MSU Research Foundation and Hannah Distinguished Professor, Department of Microbiology, Genetics, and Immunology Moderator: Charley Hasemann, Associate Vice President for Innovation and Economic Development
12:30 – 1:30 p.m.	Lunch and Leadership Remarks from 1:10-1:30	Fireside chat with Laura Lee McIntyre, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Shashank Priya, Vice President for Research and Innovation
1:30 – 2 p.m.	National Security Panel Discussion	Judd Herzer, Director of Mobility Research & Innovation John Hollenbeck, Associate Dean of Research and Doctoral Programs, Eli Broad College of Business Michael Murillo, Director of Transformative Explorations in Multi-Physics and Engineering of Scientific Turbulence (TEMPEST) Science and Technology Center Moderator: Krista Campeau, Assistant Vice President for Research Security
2 – 2:15 p.m.	Break
2:15 – 3 p.m.	The Changing Federal Landscape and Its Impacts on Sponsored Research	Laura McCabe, Associate Vice President for Research Regulatory Support Krista Campeau, Assistant Vice President for Research Security Katie Cook, Executive Director, Office of Sponsored Programs
3 – 3:40 p.m.	Spartan Research Resources	Matt Bernard, Director, Research Technology Support Facility (RTSF) (moderator) Megan Halpern, Associate Professor of Science and Society, Director of MSU’s Center for Interdisciplinary Research, Collaboration, Learning, and Engagement (CIRCLE) Keith MacRenaris, Research Associate Professor, Director of Quantitative Bio Element Analysis and Mapping (QBEAM) Kristin Parent, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Director of MSU’s Cryo-EM Facility (Cryo-EM) Andy Madden, Senior Specialist, Director of MSU’s Center for Advanced Microscopy (CAM) Nicholas Ferrari, Postdoctoral Scholar, Plant Research Laboratory (C-PhLUX) Kathleen Fitzpatrick, University Distinguished Professor of English, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, Project Director of Knowledge Commons (Knowledge Commons)
3:40 – 4 p.m.	Closing Remarks and Q&A	Shashank Priya, Vice President for Research and Innovation
4 – 4:30 p.m.	Networking Reception

Event Registration