Farnaz joined BrightEdge in early 2022 as the Director of Innovation, leading the organization’s innovation initiatives. She spearheads programs such as the BrightEdge Entrepreneurs (BEE) program, the Texas Accelerator, the ACS Collaborative Learning Community, and other initiatives that support early-stage entrepreneurs. Before BrightEdge, Farnaz held key business development roles at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), and Mass General Brigham (formerly Partners Healthcare). At Caltech, she played a pivotal role in helping researchers launch start-ups, while at Mass General Brigham, she negotiated high-value licensing agreements totaling millions of dollars. Additionally, she established a biotech incubator and proof-of-concept fund at Tufts University and served as Director of New Ventures at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Farnaz earned her Ph.D. in Pharmacology from UIC. Prior to her doctoral studies, she gained valuable entrepreneurial experience by co-founding and managing a start-up company based on her undergraduate research, contributing to its development, launch, and fundraising efforts.