Our two Alumni Awards are presented to graduates who exemplify the values of the department, demonstrate exceptional achievement and potential in their early to mid-careers, and serve as positive role models for our current and future materials science and nuclear engineering students.
The Early Career Alumni Award
This year’s Early Career Alumni Award winner is Josh Stopek, Ph.D.
Dr. Josh Stopek has a background in developing minimally invasive image-guided technologies, new cancer diagnostic and therapeutic platforms, biomaterial/biosurgery and combination devices and bringing them to market.
He is currently the vice president of R&D for HistoSonics, and focused on new breakthrough oncology solutions. He formerly led R&D in various business areas at Medtronic, Covidien and US Surgical. Prior to that, he was the co-founder and VP of a startup medical device company, VMSI, working on new minimally invasive and tissue regeneration therapies. Dr. Stopek has over 200 issued and pending patents. He received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Florida, where he also completed a fellowship in Neurosurgery and Neuroscience.
Congratulations Dr. Stopek!
The Distinguished Alumni Award
This year’s winner of the Distinguished Alumni Award is Sanjay Shrivastava, Ph.D.
Dr. Sanjay Shrivastava has over 20 years of experience in the medical device industry, with a focus on developing, commercializing, and evaluating innovative technologies. As the founder and CEO of Innova Vascular, he has played a key role in driving advancements in vascular healthcare. Sanjay has held leadership positions at prominent companies like Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, and Covidien/ev3. He co-founded BlackSwan Vascular, Inc., a clinical-stage startup, and currently serves on its board of directors. With over 30 U.S. and international patents, Sanjay’s contributions to medical device innovation are significant. He holds a doctorate in materials science and engineering from the University of Florida and a bachelor’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology.
Congratulations Dr. Shrivastava!