These eight Texas Tech faculty are transforming the classroom into a catalyst for innovation.
At the Texas Tech Innovation Hub, we believe entrepreneurship isn’t confined to business schools or pitch competitions. It lives in every lab experiment, every art studio, every breakthrough idea sparked by a curious mind. And behind those ideas? Faculty who dare to think differently.
That’s where our Faculty Ambassadors and the Faculty C-Startup program come in.
Each year, the Hub selects a diverse group of Texas Tech faculty who serve as champions of innovation, creativity, and impact-driven education across campus. These ambassadors bridge the gap between academic disciplines and real-world application, helping students turn ideas into action.
Since 2018 when the program launched, we’ve supported five Faculty Ambassadors through our Faculty C-Startup Awards, a $2,500 grant that empowers faculty to infuse commercialization and innovation principles into their courses.
But this year, we’re expanding.
Thanks to the generous support of the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance (LEDA), we’re proud to fund eight Faculty Ambassadors for the 2025-2026 academic year. That means more bold ideas in more classrooms and a stronger innovation ecosystem for West Texas.
They mentor. They motivate. They model what it means to innovate in their fields.
The 2025-2026 Faculty Ambassadors
This year’s cohort brings entrepreneurial thinking into the heart of their classrooms, reaching students across disciplines and empowering them to turn bold ideas into real-world impact. Here’s how each Faculty Ambassador is transforming innovation into education:
Dr. Donghee “Don” Shin, Professor in the College of Media & Communication
PCOM 4301: Human AI Interaction in Professional Communication
Dr. Shin is enhancing student engagement through AI-driven simulations, expert guest speakers, and open educational resources. By applying the Business Model Canvas and Lean LaunchPad to human-AI interaction, students gain firsthand experience in designing, testing, and pitching solutions with real-world potential.
Dr. Allison Childress, Professor in the College of Health & Human Sciences
NS 5355: Culinary Medicine
In Culinary Medicine, students go beyond nutrition and into innovation. Dr. Childress introduces entrepreneurial frameworks like the Business Model Canvas to explore how food, health, and business intersect—empowering students to design impactful solutions for the healthcare industry.
Michael Braga, Professor in the College of Media & Communication
Entrepreneurial Journalism
Professor Braga brings the changing media landscape to life with a course that blends data tools, AI insights, and startup thinking. By engaging with industry founders and conducting customer discovery, students reimagine journalism through an entrepreneurial lens.
Dr. Maaz Amjad, Professor in the Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering
ENGR 1340: Introduction to Engineering Design
Dr. Amjad is helping students see code as more than lines—it's the foundation for ventures that solve real-world problems. Through team-based prototyping, financial planning, and a Shark Tank-style pitch event, students apply technical and entrepreneurial skills in tandem.
Dr. Cele Stone, Professor in the Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources
AAEC 4315: Ag Business & Entrepreneurship
Rooted in real-world challenges, Dr. Stone’s course empowers students to think like ag-entrepreneurs. Using tools like the Lean LaunchPad and Business Model Canvas, student teams develop and pitch startup concepts that address pressing issues in agriculture.
Dr. Kiran Patil, Professor in the Jerry S. Rawls College of Business Administration
SCM 3351: Business Process Improvement
Dr. Patil equips students with the tools—and toolshed—for innovation. From professional software licenses to hands-on prototyping in the makerspace, learners are immersed in a tech-forward learning environment. His redesigned curriculum will also produce open resources for faculty across campus.
Dr. Sina Mostafavi, Professor in the College of Architecture
ARCH 5603: Architectural Design and Research I
Blending design and social impact, Dr. Mostafavi’s studio explores how robotics, AI, and 3D printing can address housing resilience. Students apply entrepreneurial frameworks to create adaptive, scalable housing prototypes—some already tested through community engagement with the Navajo Nation.
Thomas Brecheisen, Professor of Practice in the College of Media & Communication
CMI 3340: Commercial Practice in Creative Media Industries
Professor Brecheisen guides students through a structured innovation journey—from hypothesis testing to pivoting and pitching. By embedding the Business Model Canvas and Lean LaunchPad into every phase of the course, students develop creative ventures grounded in strategy, research, and feedback.