Innovation Ahead by IRI

Hosts Meetal Desai and Besher Al‑Maklouf interview Dr. Sumeru Nayak, Winner of the IRI’s Promising Early Career Innovation Professional Award, about his interdisciplinary career, mentorship at James Hardy, and how he applies AI, computer vision, and agile problem‑solving to real‑world construction and R&D challenges.

They discuss innovation culture, embracing failure as a form of iterative learning, building practical digital tools for installers, translating deep science into business value, and offering advice for future innovators and leaders.

The IRI podcast episode features Jonathan Welch, VP of AI and Machine Learning at Albert, discussing why many R&D organizations stall in their AI journeys and how a strong data foundation and purpose-built AI can unlock decades of trapped scientific knowledge.

Topics include the difference between quantitative and tribal knowledge, challenges of knowledge retrieval in chemistry, buy vs. build decisions, change management for lab digitization, and real examples of faster iteration and reduced repeat experiments when organizations structure and operationalize their data.

A central question confronting many innovation leaders today is how R&D systems that are optimized for today’s demands could also explore tomorrow’s opportunities. These opportunities offer significant potential but carry higher risk and must compete with the immediate demands of the day-to-day. Mature organizations face the complex challenge of systematically pursuing adjacent opportunities and evaluating emerging trends before they become immediate business priorities. 

Dr. T. Edwin Freeman, recipient of the 2026 Innovation Research Interchange Innovation Leadership Award, has transformed sustainable packaging through advanced materials science, fiber-based alternatives, and systems thinking. From early experiments on his father’s rubber farm in Liberia to leading global collaborations, Edwin blends technical expertise with human-centered leadership to turn curiosity into practical solutions.

His five leadership principles—linking science to business outcomes, fostering collaboration, communicating impact, applying systems thinking, and extending opportunity through education—have shaped teams, industry partnerships, and a STEAM-focused school in Liberia, demonstrating that innovation succeeds when it creates possibilities for both industry and people.

This webinar explored how physics-based simulations and machine learning are helping chemical companies accelerate sustainable innovation while reducing development risk. Attendees learned how a "predict-first" digital chemistry approach can evaluate properties such as solubility, stability, and material compatibility before physical testing begins. The session also highlighted real-world applications of AI-powered modeling and demonstrated how these tools can help organizations speed product development, address complex R&D challenges, and adapt to evolving regulatory and sustainability demands.

Join IRI for a conversation with Eva Tuecke as she reflects on her path from physics research at Fermilab to SpaceX and the startup world, and the experiences that have shaped her perspective on scientific discovery and innovation. Drawing on lessons from across her career, Eva will share insights on legacy data, the complexities of real-world AI adoption, failure analysis, and the practical challenges of improving R&D without creating new bottlenecks elsewhere in the process. This webinar offers an opportunity to hear one leader’s thoughtful perspective on the future of science, technology, and innovation in established organizations.

Join us for a conversation with Duane Morris partners Brian Pandya and Dan Tarr on how the rise of AI is reshaping patent strategy. We’ll cover what the USPTO is saying today, when (and whether) AI use should be disclosed, how AI impacts inventorship and obviousness, and the practical risks—from inadvertent public disclosures that can jeopardize patent rights to trade-secret leakage when using public AI tools. Walk away with guidance for setting internal AI-use policies, documenting the invention process, and positioning your filings for the road ahead. 

In the first episode of The Edge of What’s Next, IRI explores the trends reshaping the future of innovation and R&D, including the K-shaped economy, private equity investment, physical AI, demographic shifts, workforce dynamics, and the growing need for human connection in an increasingly digital environment.

This conversation highlights how manufacturers and innovation leaders can respond to uncertainty by strengthening portfolio diversification, aligning R&D priorities with organizational strategy, supporting knowledge transfer, and thoughtfully using AI to accelerate innovation while preserving the creativity and collaboration that drive long-term value.

The Holland Award Address will be delivered by the recipients of the 2025 Maurice Holland Award, presented annually by IRI to honor the most outstanding paper published in the prior year’s volume of Research-Technology Management (RTM). Named for IRI’s founder, Maurice Holland, the award recognizes exceptional thought leadership that advances the practice of innovation and industrial research. During this address, this year’s winning authors will present the findings of their award-winning paper, Integrating AI into the Front End of New Product Development, by Tucker Marion, Chelsea Yuan, and Mohsen Moghaddam.

Work with your fellow innovators to identify the key issues that will shape innovation in the near future in this interactive session. Share challenges, solutions, and learn what issues are keeping your peers up at night and what they are doing to address them now.