1:00 — 1: 30 pm Presentation of the Roon AWARD
Presentation of the American Coatings AWARD
PLENARY SESSION
Monday, April 11, 2016 | 12: 15 — 1: 30 pm
12: 15 pm
Welcome Address and Conference
Introduction
Steve Sides, American Coatings Association
Sonja Schulte, Vincentz Network
12: 30 — 1:00 pm
Keynote Presentation
Dr. Sharon Feng, Ph.D.
Senior Associate Dean of
the Institute for Molecular
Engineering
University of Chicago
but the outcome can be incredibly rewarding and
lead to the development of game changers and/or
disruptive technologies.
The University of Chicago’s Institute for Molecular
Engineering is established based on this research
model. With its unique organizational structure, it
institutionalizes the concept of cross-disciplinary
collaboration by completely breaking down traditional departmental structures based on disciplines, organizing faculty, and aiming at some
of the most ambitious discoveries of the next
generation of material science.
Sharon Feng will discuss her perspective on
implications this mega trend has on industrial
R&D, and the impact on the future talent pipeline
to industry. She will also provide insight on how
it can potentially enable new materials discovery,
with exceptional time and cost efficiency, when
companies establish strategic and mutually
beneficial collaborations with academic partners
through open innovation.
In a traditional scientific research model, success often heavily depends on the in-depth expertise, insights and creativity
of one principal investigator and/or a team of
researchers in a particular discipline. The explosion of scientific discovery and new technologies
in the 21st century, however, is turning this model
on its head. This has happened because of the
increased complexity of the problems that are left
unaddressed and the sheer scale of the challenges
mankind is facing in areas such as energy, water
and sustainability.
As a result, there has been a large movement toward cross-disciplinary collaboration in scientific
research transcending the boundaries of organizations, institutions and even nations. There are
also increasing funding sources that specifically
encourage interdisciplinary collaboration from
both government agencies and private philan-thropies. This “new” research model is not for
the faint-hearted because it requires the courage
of researchers to step out of their comfort zones,
CROSS-DISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION:
AN IMPERATIVE FOR BREAKTHROUGH MATERIALS DISCOVERY
