Dr. Ioannis (John) Kymissis and Christine McGinn awarded inaugural Columbia - Corning Advanced Materials Prize

September 20, 2021

Corning Incorporated and Columbia Technology Ventures announce the successful completion of the first cycle of the Advanced Materials Prize. They are pleased to award the inaugural prize to Dr. Ioannis (John) Kymissis and PhD candidate Christine McGinn. The winning team will be awarded prize funds in the amount of $50,000. Semifinalists teams led by Dr. Samuel Sia and Dr. Nanfang Yu will have the opportunity for continued collaboration with Corning. The three teams, headed by Columbia University professors Dr. Kymissis, Dr. Sia, and Dr. Yu, had different areas of focus within the advanced materials landscape. Team Kymissis focused their efforts on ceramic tapes, using those materials as a substrate for advanced thin film electronics. Team Sia dedicated their efforts to developing and integrating advanced manufacturable materials for microfluidic PCR. And Team Yu aimed to create a wavelength selective meta surface that molds the optical wavefront at selected colors but stays transparent over the rest of the spectrum for applications in augmented reality and transparent displays. Teams attended panel discussions and workshops with experts in the field, including Dr. Waguih Ishak, Division Vice President and Chief Technologist at Corning Research & Development Corporation, and Dr. Adam Sharkawy, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Material Impact. Additionally, teams connected with Corning research directors with similar areas of expertise, exchanging resources and knowledge. During these recurring meetings, research directors at Corning helped to identify commercial opportunities, provide feedback on teams’ research, and shape their efforts. The program concluded with a showcase on Wednesday, September 15. During this presentation, the teams shared the results of their research to date, as well as their vision for their future partnership with Corning.

Corning Incorporated and Columbia Technology Ventures are thrilled by the success of the first cycle of the program. They congratulate Dr. Kymissis and Christine McGinn on their success and look forward to the continued collaboration.