Virtual event connects students, faculty, and industry leaders for collaborative risk evaluation of microbiome research innovations
The PreMiEr Engineering Research Center hosted its annual Industry Practitioner Advisory Board Meeting (IPAB Day) on June 3, bringing together more than 45 academic and industry stakeholders for a half-day virtual summit focused on evaluating the risk and readiness of emerging microbiome technologies.
Led by PreMiEr Director Dr. Claudia Gunsch and Industry Liaison Dr. Anurodh Tripathi, the event offered a collaborative platform for stakeholders to engage directly with student researchers and assess the technical, regulatory, operational, and market risks tied to their research outputs. The event plays a vital role in preparing for PreMiEr’s upcoming NSF site visit and reinforcing the center’s mission of engineering healthier microbiomes in the built environment.
“This is a pivotal moment where our students are not just presenting research — they’re pressure-testing its real-world application with industry experts,” said Dr. Gunsch.
Risk Evaluation Meets Research Innovation
This year’s IPAB Day was structured around four presentation sessions, each spotlighting student-led projects aligned with PreMiEr’s long-term technology roadmap. Attendees heard updates on projects targeting three key focus areas: real-time autonomous microbiome monitoring, built environment health dashboards, and an engineering toolbox that includes microbial, material, and genetic interventions.
Each session featured concise research presentations followed by interactive networking breaks in virtual breakout rooms, where participants engaged in small-group technology risk analysis. These discussions centered around structured assessments of each project’s feasibility and adoption pathways — a unique fusion of scientific review and business evaluation.
Industry Feedback on Risk and Readiness
Representatives from Novonesis, Illumina, PacBio, Nexilico, the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), Bioscope and the North Carolina Biotech Center offered expert commentary on the strengths and uncertainties facing each technology. Several attendees noted the high potential of tools like multiplex dPCR platforms and autonomous VOC-based fungal detection, while also encouraging teams working on synthetic phage and mycovirus biocontrol to further clarify development timelines and stakeholder engagement plans.
Across all sessions, participants emphasized the importance of early regulatory alignment, actionable use cases, and stakeholder-informed product design. Risk scores were compiled using a standardized feedback form, capturing real-time insights that will guide student researchers in the months ahead.
Evelyn Liu from Dr. Boyuan Chen‘s lab present about autonomous fungal sensor
A Launchpad for Translational Refinement
Student presentations covered a diverse slate of innovations, including:
- A “probiotic” plumbing inoculant designed to prevent pathogen colonization in hospital sinks
- A model system for assessing bacterial attachment to built environment materials
- A low-cost aerosol sampling protocol using ready-made culture media
- A synthetic phage platform targeting multidrug-resistant pathogens in healthcare spaces
“Having industry professionals reflect on these technologies in terms of actual deployment risk adds a new dimension to how our students think about innovation,” said Dr. Tripathi.
The IPAB Day format encouraged students to think beyond their lab results and prototype performance, and instead align their work with real-world constraints and stakeholder priorities.
Looking Ahead
IPAB Day served as both a feedback forum and presentation practice for student presenters in front of diverse audience. Risk evaluation insights gathered during the event will directly inform how teams structure their next research phases and present their progress to external reviewers.
In addition to preparing student presenters for translational success, the event reinforced PreMiEr’s commitment to co-designed research that anticipates the needs of both industry and society.
“This event demonstrates what PreMiEr is really about — partnership-driven innovation that builds healthier environments from the microscopic level up,” said Dr. Gunsch.
