Jay Walsh is the University of Illinois’ Vice President for Economic Development and Innovation and a professor of bioengineering. Dr. Walsh oversees the Illinois Innovation Network, a collaboration among the state’s 12 public universities that drives inclusive and integrated research, innovation, and economic development across Illinois; he also serves on the executive committee of the Great Lakes Higher Education Consortium, a collaboration among six universities in the U.S. and Canada that promotes academic excellence, innovation, research, and education. Dr. Walsh currently serves on the Board of Directors at MxD, the Board of Governors at Argonne National Laboratory, the Board of Directors for Current, and he chairs the Board of the Chicago Council on Science and Technology. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and his Ph.D. in medical engineering from a joint Harvard Medical School – MIT program.