Ten students have been named Graduate Entrepreneurial Fellows, the most since the program launched in 2021, and they will be pursuing intensive entrepreneurial training across diverse industries, including biomedical engineering, food science, information systems and finance. 

Led by the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the fellowship program is intended to support promising graduate students from all disciplines in the pursuit of scalable, technology-based ventures.  

Fellows devote at least 20 hours per week to entrepreneurial pursuits and gain opportunities for intensive mentoring and networking, access to seed funding and business model development. 

"We're thrilled to welcome this new cohort of Graduate Entrepreneurial Fellows to our program," said Phil Shellhammer, executive director of OEI.  
 
"Their commitment to innovation across diverse industries is a testament to the entrepreneurial spirit thriving here at the University of Arkansas. We are deeply grateful to the Walton Family Foundation for their generous support, which has made this program possible and continues to empower our students to pursue transformative, scalable ventures." 

For Warrenesha Arnold, the program offers more than just financial support. Arnold, originally from Marianna, founded Nyaira Skincare as an undergrad. The company offers plant-based skincare products treating inflammation, dark spots and discoloration.  

She noted the fellowship provides a networking opportunity, valuable entrepreneurship experience and an accreditation to enhance the reputation of her company. 

"I seek to acquire the required skills that will help me implement strategic business plans, improve customer discovery and learn measures that will help me improve upon the quality of my products," Arnold said. 

Chetanjot Kaur Romana, a food scientist leveraging innovative technologies to address nutritional challenges for older adults, said the fellowship gives her an "unparalleled opportunity" to advance her research in 3D food printing.  

"The program's emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration aligns perfectly with my belief that solving complex food system issues requires insights from multiple fields," Romana said.  

"Additionally, the fellowship's focus on translating research into practical solutions resonates with my goal of developing implementable strategies to improve nutritional outcomes for the elderly." 

The fellows, listed below, will devote at least 20 hours per week to their entrepreneurial pursuits:  

Lexi Applequist 

• Degree program: College of Engineering, doctorate 
• Discipline: biomedical engineering 
• Faculty adviser: Kartik Balachandran 
• Entrepreneurial focus: Designing and commercializing organ-mimicking research platforms for streamlining drug testing in pharmaceutical companies to reduce animal testing and create more inclusive and accessible healthcare. 

Warrenesha Arnold 

• Degree program: Sam M. Walton College of Business; Master of Science in product innovation 
• Discipline: entrepreneurship 
• Faculty adviser: Matthew Myers 
• Entrepreneurial focus: Encouraging inclusivity in the skincare industry and contributing to the development of accessible and sustainable eco-friendly skincare products while promoting positive self-esteem.

Lance Cordes 

• Degree program: College of Engineering, master's 
  Discipline: biomedical engineering 
  Faculty adviser: Kartik Balachandran  
  Entrepreneurial focus: Improving disease modeling and new pharmaceutical drug efficacy by commercializing organ-on-a-chip devices for industry.

Chetanjot Kaur Romana 

• Degree program: Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, doctorate 
• Discipline: food science 
• Faculty adviser: Jamie I. Baum 
• Entrepreneurial focus: Revolutionizing elder care by using 3D printing to offer customized, easily prepared and nutritionally optimized meals.

Ghazaleh Salmanian 

• Degree program: Graduate School and International Education, doctorate 
• Discipline: materials science and engineering 
• Faculty adviser: Jingyi Chen 
• Entrepreneurial focus: Utilizing metallic nanostructures for environmental remediation and biosensing, focusing on cost-effective, scalable and multifunctional solutions.

Odunayo "Mercy" Sekinat Sobowale 

• Degree program: Walton College of Business, Master of Applied Business Analytics 
• Discipline: information systems 
• Faculty adviser: Elizabeth Keiffer 
• Entrepreneurial focus: Harnessing AI to tackle complex supply chain challenges, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and drive sustainable solutions.

Rohitkumar Srinivasa 

• Degree program: School of Law, Masters of Laws
• Discipline: agricultural law 
• Faculty adviser: Susan Schneider
• Entrepreneurial focus: Exploring how AI-based Large Language Models could be refined to tackle drafting and assembling briefs in the legal space.

Mikayla Tolliver 

• Degree program: Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, doctorate 
• Discipline: experimental psychology - social neuroscience 
• Faculty adviser: Anastasia Makhanova   
• Entrepreneurial focus: Developing innovative biotechnology and services to optimize women's hormones and reproductive health.  

Joshua D. Upshaw 

• Degree program: Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, doctorate 
• Discipline: experimental psychology 
• Faculty adviser: Darya L. Zabelina   
• Entrepreneurial focus: Developing innovative technologies for specialty healthcare clinics to streamline healthcare efficiency, improve patient outcomes and reduce administrative burdens for medical providers.

Landen Usher 

• Degree program: Walton College of Business, Master of Science in Product Innovation 
  Discipline: product management
  Faculty adviser: Justin Urso 
  Entrepreneurial focus: Developing a fitness wearable that tracks muscular fatigue through the duration of a movement to provide better individualized health data.