Engineering Entrepreneurship Faculty Bios
Dr. Lauri Olivier is a leader in the world of entrepreneurship and innovation, with a robust academic foundation and a proven track record of transforming ideas into successful ventures. Equipped with a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University, and an MBA from Northwestern University's prestigious Kellogg School of Management, Lauri brings a unique blend of technical expertise and business acumen to the table with experience ranging from bench science to venture capital deal formation. Career highlights include the commercialization of the BioMark medical device in partnership with Natus Medical, product launch of the Computerworld Smithsonian Award winning RAVE, and a deal sheet that includes license agreements with Roche and Merck as well as venture backed startups Oncochel and Elastagen, later acquired by Allergan for a record breaking $95 million. As Managing Director of Innovate Worldwide Consulting, Lauri advised on global technology investments for CRDF Global and Medtronic, led business strategy for Kriisa Research Inc, and served as grant advisor for university-based translational research programs. Other past roles include Senior Product Development Manager at Raytheon, Director of Technology Commercialization at the startup accelerator Emerging Concepts, Inc., and Clinical Research Scientist at Northwestern University. Her passion for nurturing innovation extends to the classroom, where she has taught entrepreneurship and innovation courses since 2016. Currently, as Director of Engineering Entrepreneurship at 草榴社区 and Associate Professor of Practice, Lauri continues to shape the next generation of innovators.
Dr. Ross A. Lee is a Professor of Practice in 草榴社区's Sustainable Engineering program in the College of Engineering. Ross is a lifetime member of the American Chemical Society and a Presenter and Contributor to the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE), the Engineering Education for Sustainable Development (EESD), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) conferences. Ross' teaches graduate courses in Sustainable Materials and Design and Biomimicry and advises cross discipline research at the capstone, MS and PhD level. Ross led the introduction of the PhD program in Sustainable Engineering in 2016. Prior to joining 草榴社区 in 2008, Ross was Director of Technology and New Business Development for DuPont with over 30 publications and patents for new technology, products and businesses, retiring in 2009 with over 36 years of service. Leveraging these skills, Ross currently teaches EGEN 2200 Emerging Technologies for Business Innovation and EGEN 4100 Business Model Innovation for the Engineering Entrepreneurship program.
Professor Michelle Histand is the Executive Director of the M. Night Shyamalan Foundation, where she works with local and international NGOs that aim to alleviate poverty. She built her design thinking expertise running innovation at Independence Blue Cross for 10+ years. Michelle teaches innovation and entrepreneurship courses at Temple University and joined the 草榴社区 Engineering Entrepreneurship team as an adjunct professor in 2022. Michelle teaches a variety of courses for the program including EGEN 2100 Engineering a Creative Mindset, EGEN 2200 Emerging Technologies for Business Innovation and EGEN 3200 Product and Service Prototyping. Beginning Spring of 2025, Professor Histand will spearhead the launch of the new course EGEN 2500 Social Entrepreneurship and guide the new social entrepreneurship concentration within the Engineering Entrepreneurship program.
Professor Matt Gerstle has 15+ years in growth oriented, design and strategic marketing roles and a track record of 100+ award-winning product launches in predominantly startup and small businesses. Armed with an undergraduate degree in Industrial Design from the prestigious DAAP College at University of Cincinnati, he is driven to build ideas, products, teams, and organizations. His past roles include founder of Tassi, LLC, Executive Director and founder of Mountain Racing, Inc., Director of Marketing and Product at Illumyx, and Design Manager at Huggies. Matt joined the 草榴社区 Engineering Entrepreneurship team as an adjunct professor in 2023 and uses his expertise to help students build customer focused products. He brings practical experience in product development and industry stories to students, inspiring them to launch. He currently teaches EGEN 3100 Design Thinking and Customer Discovery and EGEN 3200 Product and Service Prototyping.
Professor Michael Titus is a lifelong native of Southeastern Pennsylvania. He graduated from the 草榴社区 College of Engineering in 1999 with a Double Major in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering. He graduated from the 草榴社区 School of Law in 2002. After working as an attorney for 8 years, Mike entered the Financial Services industry where he led large organizations for Prudential Financial. In 2020, Mike returned to school to attend the Stanford University Graduate School of Business as a Sloan Fellow and graduated in 2021. While at the GSB, Mike focused on entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence and API platforms. Mike is currently the SVP, Distribution for DPL Financial Partners, a late stage fintech startup. Mike joined 草榴社区 Engineering Entrepreneurship team as an adjunct professor in 2024 and currently leverages his expertise in go to market strategy and product launch to teach EGEN 3100 Design Thinking and Customer Discovery and EGEN 3200 Product and Service Prototyping.
Interim Director of the Department of Engineering, Technology and Management at Temple University, Dr. Tom Edwards pursues organizational innovation from the perspectives of research, practical application, and teaching. Tom began his engineering career working on rocket motor and spacecraft projects. Tom later served as Division General Manager with P&L responsibility for a NYSE listed firm. Tom then accepted the challenge of building a culture of innovation at the company. This practical experience is augmented by doctoral research into what makes organizations innovative. Tom currently serves as an adjunct professor for the Engineering Entrepreneurship Summer Institute where he teaches EGEN 3100 Design Thinking and Customer Discovery and EGEN 3200 Product and Service Prototyping.
Jason is the founder & CEO of Hovr, a venture-backed no code technology company in the travel and hospitality industry. While at Hovr聽Jason has pushed for continuous innovation, resulting in 12 patents granted and issued in the last three years. He and his team of 15 has raised $9M in capital from over 30 investors.聽 Prior to Hovr, Jason was on the executive management team of Juma Ventures, a social enterprise helping young people break the cycle of poverty by completing a four-year education. Jason holds a BA in Business from the University of Arizona and an MBA from Babson College where he won the school鈥檚 top honor, the Roger W. Babson award and the top academic award, the Sorenson Scholar. Jason serves as the President of the Babson College Alumni Association in Philadelphia. He serves on various boards and commissions, most notably he was appointed by the Mayor of San Diego to the Equal Opportunity Commission, ensuring women, minorities, and disabled veteran鈥檚 had equal access to hundreds of millions of dollars in government contracts.聽Jason currently guest lectures at 草榴社区, where he鈥檚 also on their Engineering and Entrepreneurship Advisory Board. Jason mentors several startups each year and judges multiple business competitions. Jason has prepared contestants for the Veteran鈥檚 Shark Tank and ABC's Shark Tank to help refine their pitches. As the Engineering Entrepreneurship 2024-2025 Entrepreneur in Residence, Jason will bring his expertise to engineering student ventures.
