Vice Chancellor Wakimoto received his B.S. with honors and great distinction in meteorology from San Jose State University and his Ph.D. in geophysical sciences from the University of Chicago. He has previously held a professorship at both UCLA and the University of Colorado at Boulder. He has received many honors, including a scientific and technical achievement award from the Environmental Protection Agency for observations of air pollution as well as the Clarence Leroy Meisinger Award from the American Meteorological Society for his contributions to understanding of mesoscale phenomena.  He became the UCLA Vice Chancellor for Research on July 1, 2017.

Tsai-Tsai O-Lee, a seasoned UCLA professional with 23+ years of experience, excels in organizational leadership, budgeting, and grant management. As Administrative Director for TANMS Engineering Research Center, she oversees multimillion-dollar funding and operations. Formerly a Management Services Officer, she managed a statewide education program with over 19 regional sites across California A UCLA alum with a B.S. in General Biology, Ms. O-Lee is highly regarded for her professionalism and institutional knowledge.

Azar Nazeri is manages the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (NSF I-Corps™) program at UCLA. Dr. Nazeri has over fifteen years of experience as a research scientist at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and as a Program Manager at the Office of Naval Research (ONR), where she oversaw vital Naval technology developments and materials research programs. Dr. Nazeri received her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from UCLA in 1989.

Sarah Barton is an accomplished Entrepreneurial Product Leader in CPG with a proven track record in overseeing product launches, forging key business relationships, and driving growth through multi-channel marketing initiatives. Sarah’s entrepreneurial journey is complemented by her extensive experience as a commercial Casting Producer for multiple Clio and Cannes Lion award-winning content. Sarah holds an M.B.A. from UCLA Anderson, specializing in Entertainment Management. She received her B.A. in Political Economy from UC Berkeley. Sarah is a recent addition to the I-Corps team.

Schaffer Grimm, ICIC Director of Industry Relations, leads collaboration between industry and academia. Formerly with the ITA, he co-founded Craytex LLC, specializing in carbon nanotube composites. His role at Northrop Grumman involved managing operations for the Microelectronics Products and Services organization. With an MBA and MS in Electrical Engineering, Grimm’s multidimensional expertise contributes significantly to the I-Corp program.

Tanmay Desai is a junior at UCLA studying Computer Science and Engineering. He is interested in software development, data analytics and data science and would like to pursue a career in the likes. He has experiences with clubs at UCLA including Consult Your Community, the Data Science Union and UCLA Cricket.

Tina Ma is a junior at UCLA studying Mathematics of Computation. She is interested in design and software development and would like to pursue software engineering or product design as a career. On campus, she has been part of LA Hacks, Bruin Asset Management, and club Ultimate.