Six leaders and scholars from the University of Connecticut are among the 2026 cohort of CT Women of Innovation finalists.
Hosted by the Connecticut Technology Council (CTC), the annual CT Women of Innovation awards recognize Connecticut women for their achievements in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). This year, the Council selected 46 finalists from a pool of 100 nominees: scientists, researchers, academics, manufacturers, student leaders, entrepreneurs, and technicians driving scientific advancement and business growth throughout Connecticut.
Linda Barry, MD, Jennifer Mathieu, and Breanna Robbins were nominated in the Academic Innovation & Leadership category for post-secondary institutions.
At the UConn School of Medicine, Linda Barry is a professor in the departments of surgery and public health sciences; the associate director of the UConn Health Disparities Institute; and the associate dean of the Office of Multicultural and Community Affairs.
For over 15 years, Barry has taught and mentored over 400 students at UConn and has created several successful programs, including the Visiting Externship for Students Underrepresented in Medicine (VESUM) program and the Women in Surgery Interest Group.
“Any child interested in medicine and science should be able to pursue their dreams. Mentorship can be key to putting them on the right path and providing access to transformative opportunities,” says Barry, sharing her guiding philosophy.
Jennifer Mathieu ‘09 (CLAS), ‘23 MBA, is the executive director of UConn’s Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, where she has spent more than a decade building programs, partnerships, and ecosystems that help entrepreneurs turn innovative ideas into successful ventures. Under her leadership, CCEI has supported more than 1,400 startups and 2,500 entrepreneurs, with alumni companies generating more than $2 billion in follow-on funding, and has gained international recognition as a leader in venture creation.
Mathieu also serves as an instructor and member of the leadership team for the NSF I-Corps Northeast Hub, helping researchers and entrepreneurs translate emerging technologies and research into real-world ventures. An entrepreneur herself, Mathieu brings firsthand experience building a business from the ground up, informing her commitment to helping others navigate the challenges and opportunities of entrepreneurship.
“I’m passionate about helping people take innovative ideas and turn them into ventures that create real value in the world,” says Mathieu. “Whether we’re supporting a researcher commercializing a breakthrough technology, a student launching a startup, or an entrepreneur building a growing business, the most rewarding part of my work is creating the connections, resources, and confidence that help people take that next step. Being recognized alongside so many accomplished women in STEM makes this especially meaningful and is a wonderful reminder of the collective impact we can have in strengthening Connecticut’s innovation ecosystem.”
Breanna Robbins is the co-director of the Industrial Affiliates Program through UConn’s Institute of Materials Sciences (IMS). She comes to UConn after substantial industry experience, including most recently, over a decade at Rogers Corporation where she held a variety of engineering, new product development and global strategy roles for their Elastomeric Materials Solutions division.
“I am thankful that I progressed through my career getting to see first-hand how different materials can enable cutting-edge technologies beginning with materials manufactured in Connecticut,” says Robbins. “In my role at UConn, being able to sit at the intersection between industry challenges, material characterization and research for the future is exciting and extremely rewarding.”
Kelly Burke ‘05 (ENG) was nominated in the Research Innovation & Leadership category. Burke is a professor and head of the chemical & biomolecular engineering department in the UConn College of Engineering. She is also a member of the department of biomedical engineering and a core member of the Polymer Program in the Institute of Materials Science. Her research seeks to understand how biomaterials can be used to direct the behavior of the cells and extracellular matrices that form human tissues, with particular interest in the soft tissues of the gastrointestinal tract that have been damaged by disease and trauma.
Madisyn Brooks was nominated in the Collegian Innovation & Leadership category. Brooks is a Ph.D. candidate in the department of physics, where her research focuses on astrophysics. She studies the farthest black holes and galaxies that astronomers can observe with the James Webb Space Telescope. She is interested in understanding how black holes grow and evolve alongside their host galaxies.
Brooks is also a frequent host of planetarium shows at the Cynthia Wyeth Peterson Memorial Planetarium at UConn Storrs. She has previously been recognized as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow.
“I am thankful to be recognized for my work at UConn by being nominated as a CT Woman of Innovation finalist,” says Brooks. “I would have not been able to accomplish what I have done so far without the help of my advisor Dr. Jonathan Trump and the planetarium director Dr. Matt Guthrie; they both push me to be curious and ambitious in my work.”
Aida Ghiaei ’02 MS was nominated in the Community Innovation & Leadership category. As the director of graduate recruitment, support and engagement for the UConn College of Engineering, she has spent more than 16 years creating pathways for students to succeed in engineering and beyond.
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. She has helped develop and support the John Lof Leadership Academy, which prepares graduate engineering students to become confident, culturally competent leaders, and leads the College’s annual Graduate Student Poster Competition, helping students learn to communicate complex research clearly to audiences beyond their technical fields.
For Ghiaei, building a strong engineering community means helping students not only become excellent engineers, but also confident communicators, mentors, and leaders.
“Every student has the potential to make an impact when they are given the opportunity, the support, and someone who believes in them,” says Ghiaei. “My goal is to help students see possibilities for themselves that they may not yet see — and then help them build the path to get there.”
The winners of each category will be announced at a reception on Tuesday, October 27, from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at The Woodwinds in Branford.
