KGI Research Symposium Promotes Collaboration and the Sharing of Ideas

Photo Album | Research Symposium Program

Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) hosted its 15th Annual Research Symposium on Friday, Jan. 10, 2020 in the Edmunds Ballroom in the Smith Campus Center at Pomona College. The Symposium highlighted broad research areas including biotechnology and pharmaceuticals development, biomanufacturing for 21st-century medicine, drug discovery and vaccines, mechanisms of diseases, medical diagnostics and devices, and healthcare.

The Symposium Chair, KGI Associate Dean and Professor Srikanth Kolluru, kicked off the event with opening remarks.

“I am truly honored and privileged for the opportunity to chair the KGI Research symposium, which serves all of Southern California,” said Kolluru.

“It’s exciting to see all the researchers in the region coming together to present science, communicate ideas, build connections, and develop collaborations—the true intent of the symposium.”

KGI initially started the Research Symposium in 2006 to showcase research within the Institute. As KGI grew over the years, the event transformed into a regional event. In 2020, more than 170 people from 11 different colleges and universities were in attendance.

Throughout the day, 14 presenters took to the podium to share their research, including the keynote speaker, Primordial Genetics Founder and President Helge Zieler. Zieler spoke about “Function Generator: improvement of microbes and enzymes with combinatorial gene fusion libraries.”

Ten of the podium presenters have ties to KGI, with eight of them faculty members and two current Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Applied Life Sciences students. In addition to the podium presentations, there was a roundtable session facilitated by KGI faculty.

During lunch, more than 55 posters presented in the categories of basic sciences/mechanisms of disease, biomanufacturing, drug discovery and development, healthcare, medical devices and diagnostics, and the scholarship of teaching and learning.

An evening reception with live music punctuated the end of the day. Poster contest winners were announced, along with raffle drawings.