Sponsored by: IEEE Women in Engineering - Milwaukee Section in collaboration with Computer Society Chapter Presents:

A conversation on Intellectual Property & Patenting

Speaker: Dr. Jessica Silvaggi, President,

LOCATION:

UWM Research Foundation

Touchdown Space, 2nd FL, Lubar Entrepreneurship Ctr, UWMilwaukee

Wed Feb 18, 2026 - 12:00-1:00pm; Lunch will be provided!

EVENT LINK tinyurl.com/WIE-MKE 

Free registration by Feb 13 (limited space): tinyurl.com/WIE-MKE

Speaker’s Bio: Dr. Jessica Silvaggi is the President of the UWM Research Foundation (UWMRF), where she leads technology commercialization, business development, and strategic initiatives to bring UWM innovations to market. Since joining UWMRF in 2009, she has played a pivotal role in intellectual property evaluation, licensing, and startup support, and helping to shape UWM’s industry collaboration efforts. Dr. Silvaggi spearheaded Panther Partnering to streamline university-industry engagement and founded UWM ENGAGE, a mentorship network for startups.

She also manages the UWMRF Bridge Grant, supporting early-stage ventures. A Certified Licensing Professional, she holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Harvard

University, a B.S. from the University of Connecticut, and serves on the Wisconsin Technology Council’s board and executive committee.

Contact: Shahrzad Esfahani, Chair, IEEE Milwaukee WIE,shahrzad@ieee.org