Which Alumni Were Named to the 2013 TR35?

MIT Technology Review recently announced its annual TR35—the Top 35 Innovators Under 35. And similar to past years, the MIT community has a strong presence on the always-anticipated list.

At least seven MITers—including five alumni, one graduate student, and two Institute assistant professors—were named to the thirteenth annual roll call of the world's best young innovators who are driving the next generation of technology breakthroughs.

The MIT names listed below represent varied backgrounds including developing-world technology, nuclear power, and body-machine interfaces.

• Leslie Dewan ’07, PhD ’13, chief science officer and co-founder, Transatomic Power, has designed a nuclear “waste-annihilating molten-salt reactor” that may be able to consumer nuclear waste and never melt down.
• Christine Fleming ’04, assistant professor, Columbia University, has created a device that shows real-time, high-resolution images of a beating heart during cardiac procedures.
• Roozbeh Ghaffari ’01, MEng ’03, PhD ’08, co-founder and director, MC10, is an expert in the science and technology of body-machine interfaces and body-integrated devices.
• Rebeca Hwang ’02, MEng ’03, CEO, YouNoodle, connects entrepreneurs through YouNoodle-organized technology competitions.
• Steve Ramirez, doctoral student in Brain and Cognitive Sciences, is a “brain inceptor” focused on finding where memories are located throughout the brain.
• Amos Winter SM ’05, PhD ’11, assistant professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, focuses on technology in the developing world and has developed a wheelchair sturdy enough for uneven outdoors terrain.
• Feng Zhang, assistant professor, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, is using genomic research to dispel misconceptions and inaccuracies about mental illness.

According to the magazine, the TR35 is a nearly year-long process where hundreds of candidates (who must be younger than 35 on Oct. 1, 2014) are first narrowed down to 100 finalists. A panel of judges rate each finalist’s originality and scope of impace, and the editors take the judges score into account when selecting the list of 35.

The panel of 15 judges who rated the finalists includes six MIT alumni: David Berry ’00, PhD ’05, a partner at Flagship Ventures; MIT Associate Professor Edward Boyden ’99, MEng ’99; Professor Yet-Ming Chiang ’80, ScD ’85; Jennifer Elisseeff PhD ’99, a professor at Johns Hopkins; John Rogers SM ’92, SM ’92, PhD ’95, a professor at the University of Illinois; and MIT Senior Lecturer Ken Zolot.

Did we leave any MIT community members off our list? Are there any other MIT alumni or faculty that should have made the TR35? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook or Twitter.