Public Impact Headlines UAlbany Research & Entrepreneurship Week 2026
ALBANY, N.Y. (Oct. 5, 2026) — Four faculty members with expertise ranging from wireless communication to the changing demographics of the U.S. prison population and origins of complex human societies have been nominated by their colleagues to present this year’s Pathbreaking Research Talks on the third day of UAlbany's Research & Entrepreneurship Week.
The talks, which will take place at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21, are a highlight of R&E Week 2026 — a weeklong celebration of scientific exploration and startup spirit that showcases UAlbany’s commitment to discovery and translational research that advances the public good.
This year’s Pathbreaking Research speakers are:
- Shawn Bushway, professor, Department of Public Administration & Policy
- Xin Li, professor, Department of Computer Science
- Robert Rosenswig, professor, Department of Anthropology
- Dola Saha, associate professor, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Listen to Rosenswig discuss his work exploring the origins of modern money on The Short Version podcast earlier this year, or read a transcript of the conversation.
The Division for Research and Economic Development launched R&E Week in 2023 to spotlight the impact of UAlbany’s research and scholarship on the communities we serve and recognize the important contributions of the scientists, scholars and support staff who make it possible.
"These four distinguished colleagues represent the spirit of UAlbany's commitment to scholarship and discovery that broadens our understanding of ourselves and our world and by doing so advances the public good," said Thenkurussi "Kesh" Kesavadas, UAlbany's vice president for research and economic development. "We launched R&E Week to recognize exactly the kind of pathbreaking work that professors Bushway, Li, Rosenswig and Saha are doing. Four years later, there has never been a more important moment than this one to spotlight the positive public impact of university research."
A full schedule of Day 3’s events, including a keynote by K. "Vish" Viswanath, Lee Kum Kee Professor of Health Communication at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH), is available on the R&E Week event page.
Innovation & Entrepreneurship
R&E Week will begin Monday, Oct. 19, with Innovation & Entrepreneurship Day featuring a keynote by Anna Topol ’97 ’01 who is CEO of quantum technology startup QLITHIC and former chief technology officer at IBM Research. The day will continue with sessions on storytelling for innovators, a reverse pitch session in which industry will pitch researchers on tackling the problems they’re trying to solve and UAlbany’s RISE Demo Day, where research teams will pitch judges on the commercial potential of their ideas and technologies.
Focus on Public Impact
Tuesday, Oct. 20., is Public Impact Research Day and fill focus on the way UAlbany researchers are using their science and scholarship to help people across the Capital Region, New York and the world. The day will begin with a conversation between UAlbany President Havidán Rodríguez and Angela Bednarek, director of scientific advancement at The Pew Charitable Trusts, followed by a Q&A session. A panel of journalists will also discuss how scientists and scholars can most effectively communicate their findings to the public.
Rodríguez is a member of Presidents and Chancellors Council on Public Impact Research established by the Pew Charitable Trusts.
Albany Nanotechnology Symposium
The final two days of R&E Week 2026 will feature the Albany Nanotechnology Symposium and showcase the Capital Region’s significant contributions to advancing the frontiers of the semiconductor industry. The agenda includes speakers from industry and academic partners such as IBM, GlobalFoundries, Micron, Applied Materials, NY Creates, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and New York University.