Van Truskett Executive Director, Texas Innovation Center University of Texas at Austin

Van N. Truskett has a track record of innovation, leadership and attainment of business results in nanoimprint lithography addressing its introduction and use in the semiconductor, hard disk drive and emerging market (bio, solar, LED, display) applications. She has technical, operations and strategic leadership experience related to semiconductor equipment manufacturing and inkjet printhead R&D and product release. Her work has taken jetting technology from scholarship to practice in the U.S. and Asia, enabling a novel path for lower production costs for the semiconductor industry.

Truskett played a critical role in a team that raised venture capital and developed a startup, Molecular Imprints, into a thriving enterprise that Canon acquired in 2014 to form Canon Nanotechnologies. Her accomplishments included developing dramatically higher resolution nanopatterning solutions at a lower cost of ownership compared to competitors. She was instrumental in the product release of over 10 nanoimprint lithography products and over six cutting-edge inkjet-printing products. She has over 50 patents (U.S. and international) constituting the core technology.

She served as Director of Jetting Technology for Canon Nanotechnologies. Her groundbreaking developments, scientific contributions and leadership of core technologies in semiconductor equipment manufacturing and inkjet printhead innovation were seminal to the company’s acquisition. Currently, Dr. Truskett is dually appointed at The University of Texas at Austin as the Executive Director of the Texas Innovation Center by the Cockrell School of Engineering and the Director of Technology Innovation Development by the Office of Innovation and Economic Impact. She brings her expertise in innovation and entrepreneurship to foster and enable the commercialization of university-based discoveries and young startup companies to succeed. She received her Ph.D. from The Johns Hopkins University and her B.S. from The University of Texas at Austin, both degrees in chemical engineering.

Truskett is a nationally recognized technology and business leader. She is the recipient of the 2014 Industrial Research & Development Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). This is a national chemical engineering award for innovation, creativity and impact of bringing new products to market. In 2016, she was awarded the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award in Technology Innovation from The Academy of Medicine, Engineering, and Science of Texas and also was selected as the Distinguished Engineering Graduate from the Cockrell School of Engineering at UT Austin. The O’Donnell Award is the most prestigious state award recognizing Texas-based researchers for their pioneering work. The distinguished graduate award is the highest honor from the Cockrell School given to highly respected professionals, dedicated engineers and supporters of higher education. In 2017, Dr. Truskett was inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Chemical Engineers in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering at UT Austin. As of 2020, she became a board member of AIChE’s Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship Excellence and a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.