Six academic leaders from the University of Connecticut have been selected as 2026 CT Women of Innovation finalists.
The Connecticut Technology Council will recognize 46 finalists at its 21st annual Women of Innovation awards ceremony.
“Women of Innovation, a CT Tech Council program, is one of the largest networks of women in technology, science and engineering in Connecticut,” the organization wrote on its website. “For over 20 years, CTC has awarded women in various fields of technology for excellence in leadership and innovation.”
Among those selected as finalists are UConn’s Linda Barry, Jennifer Mathieu, Breanna Robbins, Aida Ghiaei, Kelly Burke and Madisyn Brooks.
The finalists were selected from a pool of 100 nominees, according to a press release.
Barry, Mathieu, and Robbins were each nominated in the “Academic Innovation & Leadership” category for post-secondary institutions.
Barry is a professor in the departments of Surgery and Public Health, associate director of the UConn Health Disparities Institute, associate dean of the Office of Multicultural and Community Affairs and the director of Visiting Externship for Underrepresented Students in Medicine, according to her UConn Health faculty profile.
Throughout her 15-year career at UConn, Barry has mentored over 400 students and launched several successful programs, such as the Visiting Externship for Students Underrepresented in Medicine program and the Women in Surgery Interest Group, according to a UConn Today article.
At the UConn School of Business, Mathieu is the executive director of the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
According to her faculty profile, Mathieu “supports economic development by fostering initiatives for startups and small businesses at UConn, across Connecticut, and to alumni worldwide.”
Mathieu earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from UConn, a master’s degree in higher education administration from Springfield College and an Executive Master of Business Administration from UConn, as detailed in her profile.
Mathieu has helped launch and grow hundreds of entrepreneurial startups, according to her profile. She is also a mentor for community organizations and serves on the advisory board for several emerging businesses.
“It’s a very vulnerable place to be, to put your idea out into the world and have no idea what’s going to happen when you do that,” Mathieu said in an interview with The Daily Campus on Tuesday.
Mathieu said she is excited to be around other like-minded academics and said the celebration will show the “breadth and depth” of innovation happening around Connecticut.
“It’s amazing to be around other UConn faculty and staff,” Mathieu said. “To me, being named a finalist is the big victory, to be around such an esteemed group of women.”
At UConn’s Institute of Materials Sciences (IMS), Robbins serves as the co-director of the Industrial Affiliates Program (IAP).
IAP is a characterization facility that strives to develop valuable relationships with its industry partners to better understand their technology and business, according to the program’s website
UConn’s Ghiaei was nominated in the “Community Innovation & Leadership” category. Ghiaei serves as the graduate outreach manager at UConn’s College of Engineering.
“Through mentoring, outreach, leadership development, graduate recruitment, and community building, Ghiaei has supported more than 1,000 UConn students in reaching their academic and professional goals,” the UConn Today article said.
Burke was nominated in the “Research Innovation and Leadership” category. She is an associate professor and department head of chemical and biomolecular engineering at UConn, according to her faculty profile.
Burke’s profile highlights her work within the Polymer Program at UConn’s IMS.
The Polymer Program serves as the state’s center for graduate research and education programs focusing on polymer science and engineering, according to its website.
According to her profile, Burke’s research “seeks to understand how biomaterials can be used to direct the behavior of the cells and the extracellular matrices that form human tissues, with a particular interest in the soft tissues of the gastrointestinal tract that have been damaged by disease and trauma.”
Concluding UConn’s list of finalists, Brooks was nominated in the “Collegian Innovation & Leadership” category.
Brooks is a fourth-year graduate student and a Ph.D. candidate in UConn’s Department of Physics.
According to the UConn Today article, Brooks studies some of the farthest black holes and galaxies using the James Webb Space Telescope.
“I’m interested in looking at the observational signatures of black holes and how those relate to what’s going on locally,” Brooks said in an interview with the Daily Campus on Tuesday.
Brooks said she works closely alongside Dr. Jonathan Trump, an associate professor in physics, who she said encourages her to try new things and pushes her to be ambitious.
Brooks also said she works at Cynthia Wyeth Peterson Memorial Planetarium, where she is able to find more ways to connect with the community.
Brooks said she looks forward to expanding her network and connecting with women at different stages of their careers across various areas of academia.
The awards ceremony will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 27, from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at The Woodwinds in Branford.