IIFH Inaugural “Translator’s Circle” hits the ground running
This winter, the Innovation Institute for Food and Health (IIFH) launched the inaugural cohort of its new Food & Health Translator’s Circle—a pilot fellowship designed to help researchers explore how to translate academic discovery into real-world impact.
The Translator’s Circle brings together an interdisciplinary group of PhD candidates, postdoctoral scholars, a master’s student, an MBA candidate, and faculty, all united by a shared
interest in understanding whether and how their research could translate beyond academia—and what practical steps are required to pursue that path.
The program is not an accelerator. Instead, it creates a space for like-minded researchers to step back from the bench and learn from founders, investors, and translational leaders in the food and health space while refining their own ideas through exposure to real-world entrepreneurial narratives.
Throughout Winter Quarter 2026, fellows are engaging with a range of speakers, including IIFH Faculty Director Justin Siegel; IIFH Director of Programs Kim Fisher; venture investors Aryeh Ganz and Chris Lai; regulatory expert Vanessa Feher Castagna; design and innovation leader Sara Beckman; entrepreneur Janine Elliott; life sciences investor Brock Siegel; and startup founders Bruce German and Wilson Mak. Sessions explore product–market fit, business models, regulatory strategy, funding pathways, and what makes a compelling investment.
In partnership with the newly formed Food & Health Angels network, fellows are also conducting due diligence on early-stage startups. This hands-on experience provides practical insight into how investors assess risk, opportunity, and readiness for funding, while helping participants refine their own concepts.
The inaugural cohort (Learn more about our cohort here) reflects the breadth of innovation across UC Davis, from precision nutrition and metabolic health to plant genomics, aquaculture, food safety, and sustainable agriculture. As the first year of the Translator’s Circle unfolds, the program is helping build the next-generation of translational leadership—researchers who are not only advancing discovery, but actively considering how their science can shape the future of food and health.
