Strategy Analyst · Unit X, University of Michigan
Bioengineer turned strategist — building the operating model for Michigan's newest bio-innovation institute.
PhD bioengineer, patented near-infrared imaging inventor, and former biotech founder, now designing the frameworks that help university science become fundable, licensable ventures.
About
Shrishti Singh spent her PhD and postdoc years engineering a proprietary near-infrared contrast agent for tumor imaging — the kind of deep-tech problem that takes a decade to de-risk. That experience, co-founding a biotech startup around the discovery, is what now shapes how she thinks about institution design: every framework she builds has to survive contact with an actual lab bench, an actual cap table, and an actual licensing negotiation.
At the University of Michigan, she has moved from evaluating individual inventions as a Licensing Fellow to designing the operating model for Unit X, the university's new biomedical innovation institute — benchmarking peer institutes, mapping venture-translation pipelines, and turning scientific and clinical concepts into the executive-level frameworks that leadership and investors act on.
She holds a PhD in Bioengineering from George Mason University, is an inventor on a US patent for targeted NIR imaging technology, and was named to STAT News's list of 2023's most promising healthcare technologies for her contrast-agent work.
Experience
Reverse-chronological — from bench science to biotech founder to institutional strategy.
Unit X, University of Michigan · Ann Arbor, MI
Benchmarks peer and industry biomedical/BioAI institutes, tracks emerging BioAI trends for institutional positioning, and designs operational frameworks for research pipelines and startup launch timelines. Serves as strategic liaison translating scientific and clinical concepts into executive communications, and develops go-to-market strategy and investment-readiness metrics for new ventures.
University of Michigan Innovation Partnerships · Hybrid
Evaluated early-stage biomedical and life-sciences inventions for patentability, conducted prior-art and market analyses, and assessed commercial viability. Managed IP strategy and licensing opportunities and supported venture formation, working directly with faculty inventors on sponsored research agreements.
George Mason University · Fairfax, VA
Developed a proprietary dye-conjugate, ICG-based near-infrared photoacoustic contrast agent under Dr. Remi Veneziano, improving batch-to-batch reproducibility by 40%. Named inventor on a US patent covering applications in tumor-margin staining and non-invasive biopsy.
NIRView Biosciences Inc.
Led preclinical development, fundraising, and early commercialization strategy for a biotech startup building contrast agents for tumor imaging. Secured roughly $200,000 in non-dilutive funding, including a $75,000 Virginia Innovation Partnership grant and NSF I-Corps support.
George Mason University · Advisor: Dr. Remi Veneziano
Research in biomaterials, nanomedicine, and tissue engineering, focused on advanced diagnostic and therapeutic technologies for early cancer detection, with an emphasis on breast cancer. Completed internships with the National Science Foundation and Radical AI.
Research & Publications
Publication record centered on near-infrared photoacoustic imaging, DNA nanostructures, and drug-delivery platforms. Metrics via Google Scholar.
Flagship paper
Singh, S., Giammanco, G., Hu, C.H., Bush, J., Cordova, L.S., Lawrence, D.J., Moran, J.L., Chitnis, P.V., Veneziano, R. — Photoacoustics, Vol. 29, 100437 (2022/2023).
| Title | Journal | Year | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Synthesis of DNA origami scaffolds: Current and emerging strategies | Molecules, 25(15), 3386 | 2020 | 79 |
| Versatile encapsulation and synthesis of potent liposomes by thermal equilibration | Membranes, 12(3), 319 | 2022 | 19 |
| A computational approach for understanding graphene oxide–nucleoside diphosphate kinase interactions, with implications for heart failure | Nanomaterials, 8(2), 57 | 2018 | 6 |
| Autonomously propelled colloids for penetration and payload delivery in complex extracellular matrices | Micromachines, 12(10), 1216 | 2021 | 5 |
| Computational approach to chirality separation in biomolecular assemblies | Biomolecules | 2023 | 2 |
Additional 2024–2025 conference proceedings and preprints on photoacoustic imaging (IEEE UFFC, SPIE Photons Plus Ultrasound, bioRxiv) not shown. Full list on Google Scholar.
Ventures & IP
Co-founded to commercialize a proprietary near-infrared contrast agent for tumor imaging, developed during her PhD and postdoctoral research at George Mason University. As Co-founder & CEO, led preclinical development, fundraising, and go-to-market planning.
Secured approximately $200,000 in non-dilutive funding, including NSF I-Corps support and a $75,000 Virginia Innovation Partnership grant awarded in 2023.
Named inventor on a US patent, "Modified J-Aggregates and Conjugates Thereof" (issued 2022), covering the targeted, near-infrared dye-conjugate contrast agent technology developed at George Mason University. Applications include tumor-margin staining, improved diagnostic accuracy, and non-invasive biopsy alternatives.
In 2026, the technology was licensed to NanOptical Biomedical Inc., informing the development of SonoVanta™, a targeted contrast agent for photoacoustic imaging positioned as an alternative to indocyanine green (ICG) — the only FDA-approved near-infrared contrast agent currently used off-label for that purpose.
Recognition & Credentials
STAT March Madness recognition as an inventor for her near-infrared contrast-agent imaging technology.
George Mason University School of Business; also named Mason's Choice Winner, STEM division.
Pitch competition win at the Accelerate Breakfast Series.
Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation, awarded with Dr. Remi Veneziano at George Mason University to advance NIRView's contrast-agent platform.
BMES Advanced Biomanufacturing Conference (ABioMet).
Department of Bioengineering, George Mason University.
Recognition and prize supporting her cancer-imaging research crowdfunding campaign.
National Science Foundation regional cohort award.
Third Place (Avidin/graphene biosensor) and Honorable Mention (chirality-based CNT separation); additional Honourable Mention, ASEE Northeast Conference.
CamTECH India / Merck for Mothers / USAID, for a maternal-sepsis diagnostic concept.
Selected Press, Talks & Funded Work
Coverage of her research, ventures, and career transition, plus invited talks and non-dilutive funding write-ups.
Academic profiles: ORCID · ResearchGate · Academia.edu
Contact
Based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Open to conversations on biomedical commercialization, institute design, and venture-building mechanisms.