PNNL Chief Commercialization Officer Leads a National Academies Panel

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) Chief Commercialization Officer Christina Lomasney was selected to lead a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Government-University-Industry-Philanthropy Research Roundtable (GUIPRR) panel. GUIPRR, established in 1984, is charged with improving the research enterprise of the United States and provides a forum for dialogue among top government, university, industry, and philanthropy leaders in science and technology. The panel was part of the two-day workshop event “AI Infrastructure to Accelerate AI Convergence and Catalyze Scientific Innovation,” hosted in June 2025.

Lomasney, a veteran entrepreneur with two decades of experience in technology innovation and commercialization, moderated the session “Developing Robust Commercialization Pathways for Emerging Technologies in AI and High-Performance Computing (HPC),” bringing together entrepreneurs, innovators from national laboratories and academia, and global security experts.

“AI and high-performance computing are no longer just enablers of scientific discovery—they’re becoming economic engines, geopolitical tools, and strategic levers,” said Lomasney. “But the challenge we face is translating these innovations into real-world, enabling, and secure solutions—and doing so quickly, responsibly, and at scale.”

Panelists included Austin Carson, founder and CEO of SeedAI; Edlyn Levine, CEO of Stealth AI Venture; Justin C. Sanchez, Battelle tech fellow; Kevin R. Dixon, director of the Applied Information Sciences Center at Sandia National Laboratories; and Zachary Lawrence, CEO of KlyneAI.

The panelists had a lively discussion on how partnerships and collaboration can lead to streamlined pathways for groundbreaking research to transform into commercially successful solutions that drive economic growth and foster technological leadership.

The session particularly focused on building public-private partnerships that accelerate impact, navigating national security risks in a rapidly evolving global tech landscape, addressing talent shortages and workforce distortions in the artificial intelligence (AI) economy, and unlocking data for the physical sciences without compromising IP or sovereignty.

“It was a privilege to moderate a powerful panel discussion with recognized leaders across the research to market spectrum that understand the importance of establishing effective commercialization pipelines, especially as AI and HPC capabilities rapidly advance,” said Lomasney. “It was insightful to hear their different perspectives and to start a dialogue that will lead to further conversations needed to make impact through innovation.”

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