UCLA Samueli Researchers Recognized in Inaugural UC Regents Innovation Awards
Technology Development Group/UCLA
From left: UCLA professor Aydogan Ozcan, Vice Chancellor for Research, Innovation & Creative Activities Roger Wakimoto and UCLA Technology Development Group Associate Vice Chancellor Amir Naiberg
UCLA Samueli Newsroom
Three recipients of the inaugural University of California Regents Innovation Awards have ties to research and technologies developed at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, including advances in artificial intelligence-powered optical computing, robotic cataract surgery and ocean-based carbon removal.
The awards recognized 23 innovators across the University of California for translating research into technologies, companies and other advances that benefit society. Recipients were selected from nominees representing all 10 UC campuses and three affiliated national labs.
Disruptive Research Award: Aydogan Ozcan
A professor of electrical and computer engineering and bioengineering at UCLA Samueli and holder of the Volgenau Chair for Engineering Innovation, Ozcan received a Disruptive Research Award, which honors “research with best potential to be developed into new or improved technologies, products or services that will improve lives.”
A leading researcher in AI-powered computational imaging, sensing and optical computing, Ozcan was recognized for harnessing light to perform computations, paving the way for more sustainable, energy-efficient AI and expanding access to next-generation intelligence beyond traditional data centers.
Best Startup Award: Jean-Pierre Hubschman
A former UCLA ophthalmologist and co-founder of Horizon Surgical Systems, Dr. Hubschman was honored for “using UC research to address societal needs.” He co-founded Horizon Surgical Systems with Jacob Rosen, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and bioengineering and director of the Bionics Lab; Tsu-Chin Tsao, a distinguished professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and director of the Mechatronics and Controls Laboratory; and Dr. Steven Schwartz, former chief of the Retina Division at the UCLA Stein Eye Institute.
The award recognized Hubschman for developing an AI-assisted robotic platform that automates complex eye surgeries. The technology standardizes surgical precision, expands access to sight-restoring procedures and has created 60 high-skill jobs in Southern California.
Best Startup Award: Erika La Plante
An associate professor of materials science and engineering at UC Davis, La Plante was honored for co-founding Equatic, whose carbon-removal technology grew out of research she conducted at UCLA’s Institute for Carbon Management (ICM). Formerly known as Project SeaChange, the technology uses seawater to capture atmospheric carbon dioxide while producing clean hydrogen fuel.
La Plante co-founded Equatic with UCLA Samueli civil and environmental engineering professor Gaurav Sant, director of ICM and the Pritzker Professor of Sustainability, and David Jassby, ICM’s associate director of knowledge discovery and a professor of civil and environmental engineering.