Northeastern NAI Members

Jennifer is the Executive Director of Northeastern’s Center for Research Innovation where she is responsible for formulating the vision and executing the mission of the CRI. By merging her extensive experience in business and academia with a passion for generating real-world solutions, Jennifer facilitates the movement of Northeastern’s use-inspired research from lab to living room. Overseeing CRI programs that educate faculty, accelerate technological development, and spur venture creation, Jennifer stresses operational excellence and the cultivation of enduring relationships between industry leaders and the Northeastern community that catalyze local and global impact.

Prior to becoming Executive Director, Jennifer served as the CRI’s Director of Finance and Operations. Before joining Northeastern in 2010, she worked in the field of Sponsored Research as the International Project Coordinator at Harvard School of Public Health. Her entrepreneurial spirit found expression in Nu-Print, the company she founded and presided over for 14 years before venturing into higher education.

In 2017, Jennifer was the recipient of Northeastern’s prestigious “Outstanding Service Award,” in recognition of her compelling leadership and dedication to innovation.

Ken Blank is a demonstrated innovative and effective leader in building high impact, sustainable use-inspired research programs.. He has a proven ability to engage industry, mission oriented government agencies, and universities in productive collaboration. These key alliances increase funded research to support the development of new emerging technologies and contribute to successful technology commercialization, and workforce-related programs. Blank has held senior research leadership positions at nationally recognized research institutions successfully increasing metrics in research revenue and technology commercialization.. He serves on the Board of Directors of The University City Science Center (Philadelphia, PA) and the New Jersey Innovation Institute (Newark, NJ) and is a Fellow of The National Academy of Inventors and The College of Physicians of Philadelphia.

Ken Blank is a demonstrated innovative and effective leader in building high impact, sustainable use-inspired research programs.. He has a proven ability to engage industry, mission oriented government agencies, and universities in productive collaboration. These key alliances increase funded research to support the development of new emerging technologies and contribute to successful technology commercialization, and workforce-related programs. Blank has held senior research leadership positions at nationally recognized research institutions successfully increasing metrics in research revenue and technology commercialization.. He serves on the Board of Directors of The University City Science Center (Philadelphia, PA) and the New Jersey Innovation Institute (Newark, NJ) and is a Fellow of The National Academy of Inventors and The College of Physicians of Philadelphia.