Dr. Kristina M. Johnson is an internationally recognized innovator, entrepreneur, and educator. Beginning as a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, the challenges she faced in commercializing her own inventions helped her see the importance of building connected ecosystems that allow new technologies to take root. Since then, she has led in every aspect of American innovation, including policymaking and academic leadership. She has excelled in building innovation ecosystems that integrate education, technological breakthroughs, government support, and industry collaborations in Boulder, Colorado; in Research Triangle Park in North Carolina; in Upstate New York; and in Columbus, Ohio.
Dr. Johnson’s own pioneering research led to 46 U.S. patents and the invention of a new class of optical technologies that revolutionized 3D cinema and HDTV, generating multi-billion-dollar industries. Her liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) displays have been used in advanced cancer prescreening, high-speed spectrometry, advanced telecommunications, and quantum information processing. As Under Secretary of Energy during the Obama administration, Dr. Johnson managed a $36 billion portfolio, driving renewable energy projects, smart grid development, and carbon emission reduction initiatives. She launched the C3E Initiative to empower women in clean energy. Dr. Johnson currently cochairs the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
As a leader in academia, she has energetically supported faculty and student research and entrepreneurship. While President of the Ohio State University, she was able to increase research expenditures by 49% in just three years. She has also championed underrepresented groups in STEM through initiatives such as Johns Hopkins’ MOSAIC program, SUNY’s PRODiG program, and Ohio State’s RAISE initiative. By strengthening innovation ecosystems across the nation, Dr. Johnson has made profound contributions to U.S. economic prosperity, technological leadership, and equality of opportunity.
