USFRF Board Members
Michael Cross
Michael Cross, Ph.D.
Professor
Judy Genshaft Honors College
University of South Florida
Dr. Cross leads entrepreneurial initiatives across the boundaries of the university and its local community to generate mission-aligned value, creating opportunities for students’ lifelong success. His early career involved strategy development with teams of tech experts at a Fortune 100 (USAA); now he fosters innovation with world-class researchers and innovators at a preeminent Florida university—widely known for its student success—The University of South Florida (USF). With this experience, he seeks to connect value for stakeholders across the broader community, develop human capital throughout the university, and advance USF’s institutional brand globally.
Michael earned his Ph.D. in applied physics at the University of South Florida in 2016, an M.S. in Entrepreneurship and Applied Technology at the University of South Florida in 2019, and B.S. in computer science from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2005. His interests include translating scientific advances in the lab into services, products, and policies accessible to the greater community.
Previously, he led the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) at USF to engage students—from
admissions to graduation—in the high-impact practice of undergraduate research. In
this role, he collaborated with units inside USF towards student-focused programming
and partners outside USF to expose students to experiential learning opportunities.
Concurrently as a faculty member at the USF’s Honors College, he leads the design,
implementation, and instruction of courses focused on the philosophy, practice and
process of research, creativity, and innovation.
Dr. Cross currently leads the seed-funded and SBIR-awarded biotechnology startup,
Nascence, in the development of a novel rapid non-destructive cell culture platform
that increases yields of highly sensitive human cells. He previously co-founded a
spinoff startup through the NSF’s ICORP program ($50,000), Élan Biomaterials (now
Cellvana Biotechnology), to develop technology which eliminated the need for chemicals
or tools in the harvesting of cells used in rare cancer and stem cell therapies. The
company was awarded the Cade Museum Prize and raised over $500,000 in early-stage
funding.
Dr. Cross’ early career was in e-commerce with over 10 years in fortune 500 companies (financial and retail services) managing cross-functional teams, corporate projects, and business strategy for technology integration. He is an author on several peer reviewed publications and his research comprises an interdisciplinary collaboration focused on 3D bioprinting platforms and biomaterials for rapid cell release.