Cheryl Martin, acting director of the United States Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) visited the Georgia Tech campus to meet with faculty and students on Wednesday, April 23.

 In a roundtable discussion at the Carbon Neutral Energy Solutions Laboratory at Georgia Tech, Senator Johnny Isakson and Georgia Tech executive vice president for research Steve Cross briefed Martin on Georgia Tech’s strong partnership with the state and other collaborators to build an innovation ecosystem in Georgia and drive economic development, and the importance of continued investment in innovation. Representatives from industry, the startup community including Invest Atlanta, Georgia Research Alliance and Tech faculty engaged in a lively discussion around the importance of public-private partnerships and Martin’s work to understand and combat challenges presented in technology commercialization.

Martin’s remarks underscored the importance of actively engaging with federal stakeholders, emphasizing the value of forming networks in the energy sector. Campus visits like this one are organized by the Institute to elevate awareness of Georgia Tech’s comprehensive research portfolio and to keep a pulse on new opportunities.

Martin also leads ARPA-E’s Technology-to-Market program, which helps breakthrough energy technologies succeed in the marketplace. Prior to joining ARPA-E, Dr. Martin was an Executive in Residence with Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, a venture capital firm based in Menlo Park, California.

Learn more about Georgia Tech’s energy research at www.energy.gatech.edu