Nicole L. Wagner

Dr. Nicole Wagner obtained her PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of Connecticut under the advising of Dr. Robert Birge, a pioneer in the field of light-sensitive proteins. Nicole entered the graduate program in 2007 and spent the majority of her graduate career working on optimizing retinal-containing proteins for application in devices. During the course of her PhD research, she played a critical role in the proof-of-concept experiments which helped to found LambdaVision. Through the use of site-directed mutagenesis, site-specific saturation mutagenesis, and directed evolution, Nicole was able to genetically engineer the protein, bacteriorhodopsin, for a variety of device applications, including protein-based holographic and 3-dimensional memories, a chemical detection sensor, and, most recently, a protein-based artificial retina.

Nicole is an accomplished scientist and entrepreneur with numerous peer-reviewed publications, and has presented her research at both national and International meetings. In 2012, she received the Connecticut Technology Council’s Women of Innovation “Collegian Innovation and Leadership Award” for her work with LambdaVision, and in 2015, was listed as one of CT Magazine’s 40 under 40. Nicole currently serves as LambdaVision’s president and CEO. Since taking on the role of CEO, Nicole has been successful in securing over $8M in local, state, and government funding to accelerate the research, development, and commercialization of LambdaVision’s artificial retina.