Research and Innovation Week

Research and Innovation Week is SMU's showcase of the exciting research being done by our undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty.  Members of the SMU community and the public are invited to join us to learn about the groundbreaking research being done at SMU.  Research and Innovation Week 2024 will take place Monday, April 1-Friday, April 5. More events coming soon. 

Research & Innovation Week 2024 Events

  • Kick-Off Event and Centers & Institutes Panel

    Date: Monday April 01, 2024

    The Office of Research & Innovation will kick-off Research and Innovation Week with panels that feature our very own centers and institutes and the research projects they are developing.  Below is the schedule for the kick-off:


    8:00-8:30 a.m. Light Breakfast


    8:30-8:35 a.m. Welcome: Dr. Suku Nair, VPR


    8:35-8:50 a.m. Keynote Speaker: Dr. Elizabeth Loboa, Provost


    9:00-10:15 a.m. Dean's Panel: Dr. Ali Beskok, Dr. Jason Nance, Dr. Robin Poston, Dr. Tom DiPiero, Dr. Sam Holland, Dr. Stephanie Knight


    10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Centers and Institutes Panel: Dr. Karisa Cloward, Dr. Kumar Venkataraman, Dr. Mitch Thornton, Dr. Neena Imam, Dr. Malia Brink, Mr. Robert Walker, Dr. Tony Cuevas, Dr. Zannie Voss


    The Kick-off will be held in Moody Hall Auditorium.

    Contact Information:

  • Undergraduate Poster Session

    Date: Tuesday April 02, 2024

    Poster presentations by SMU undergraduates will take place in the Moody Hall atrium from 2-5 p.m.

    Contact Information:

  • Graduate Poster Session

    Date: Wednesday April 03, 2024

    Poster presentations by SMU graduate students and postdocs will take place in Frances Anne Moody Hall.
    Session 1 (Dedman College programs): 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
    Session 2 (All other programs and postdoctoral scholars): 2-5 p.m. 

    Contact Information:

  • Lunch & Learn: Navigating through the Research Labyrinth

    Date: Thursday April 04, 2024

    Graduate students are invited to this event from 11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
    Learn from Mary Travis and her compliance team about what you need to do before your project or grant is approved and funded.
    This event will be held in Frances Anne Moody Hall, Seminar Room 241. 

    Contact Information:

  • Keynote Talk

    Date: Thursday April 04, 2024

    Dr. Keivan Stassun, Director of the Frist Center for Autism & Innovation, and Stevenson Professor of Physics & Astronomy at Vanderbilt University will give a talk titled, "The (Neuro-) Diversity Revolution: Tapping the Human Diversity of Mind to Accelerate Scientific Discovery."

    This talk will take place in the Moody Hall Auditorium from 5-6 p.m.

    Reception and refreshments to follow. 

    Contact Information:

  • Conversations with Dr. Sandi Chapman and Dr. Lori Cook

    Date: Friday April 05, 2024

    Please join Dr. Lori Cook and Dr. Sandi Chapman for a discussion on how adopting brain-healthy practices can result in significant, measurable brain changes and improvements in overall quality of life. The discussion is entitled, "Boosting Brain Health: Simple Steps to Promote Clarity, Connectedness, & Emotional Balance." 

    For a “sneak peek”, participants are invited to take part in the free 7-day Great Brain Gain text challenge immediately. Simply text GAIN to 888-844-8991 to join! Each day during the following week you will get a tip that you can start applying in your everyday life right away. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Center for BrainHealth (CBH), which is turbo-charging its mission of empowering people of all ages to focus on brain gain (vs drain) by taking simple, science-backed steps. 

    Dr. Sandi Chapman is Founder and Chief Director at Center for Brainhealth® and the Dee Wyly Distinguished University Professor in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at The University of Texas at Dallas. Dr. Lori Cook serves as Director of Clinical Research at Center for Brainhealth® and is an adjunct Assistant Professor in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at The University of Texas at Dallas. 

    This talk will take place in the Moody Hall Auditorium from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Lunch will be provided with registration. 

  • Investor's Panels: Licensing Research

    Date: Friday April 05, 2024

    Join us for a series of discussions that include an investor panel, our patent attorney, and faculty inventors to learn how to license your research. The Office of Technology Transfer will be present should you have any questions. An outline of these talks are below: 

    8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. Light Breakfast

    8:30 a.m. – 8:50 a.m. Keynote: Josh Taylor, Managing Director, Spears Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership

    9:00 a.m. – 9:50 a.m. Investors' Panel

    Moderator , Ben Bhatti, VP of Innovation, Dallas Regional Chamber

    Rogers Healy, Founder & CEO, Morrison Seger Venture Capital Partners

    Bryan Chambers, Founder & President, Capital Factory

    John Adler, Founder, Kagenetworks

    Ryan Morfin, Managing Partner, IronGate Capital Advisors

    10:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.  Inventors' Panel

    Dr. Alexander Lippert

    Dr. Corey Clark

    Dr. Jennifer Dworak

    Dr. John Buynak

    Dr. JC Chiao

    1:45 p.m.– 3:45 p.m. "Licensing & Patenting AI," Dr. Daniel Chalker, Chalker Flores, LLP

    These discussions will be held in Moody Hall Auditorium.

    Contact Information:

  • MFA Qualifying Exhibition: "To Feel, To Mend, To Be"

    Date: Friday April 05, 2024

    The Division of Art’s interdisciplinary program is proud to announce the 2024 MFA Qualifying Exhibition, showcasing works that range from ceramics and installations to paintings. Exhibiting artists include Lauren Careese Alexander, Taryn Uribe Turner, and Matthew Weimer.

    This event will take place from 2-5 p.m. in the Pollock Gallery, located on the east campus.