John A. Blaho is the CUNY Director for Industrial-Academic Research. He has been responsible for creating/maintaining productive sponsored research projects between industrial entities and CUNY research faculty and is currently working to increase the amount of faculty entrepreneurial activities. Dr. Blaho was trained as a chemical engineer, received his Ph.D. in biochemistry, and was the PI of an academic research lab for over 25 years. Subsequently, he served a CSO function at a biotech company in Princeton, NJ. In this position, he was responsible for expanding the business through development of key partnerships and creating new investment opportunities. Since joining CUNY, he has led the creation of two new NSF IUCRC centers at the City College of CUNY and has served as the Industrial Mentor for three CUNY NSF I-Corps teams. In 2012, he led the creation of the NSF I-Corps NYC Regional Innovation Node.