Sarah Lubik has always been fascinated by the idea of turning “science fiction into business reality.”
Lubik is a lecturer in entrepreneurship and innovation at the Beedie School of Business and the director of Tech E at Simon Fraser University (SFU). Tech E, short for the technological entrepreneurship program, is a joint venture between mechatronic systems engineering, which is under the faculty of applied science, and the Beedie School of Business.
“We are bringing students together from business and engineering to make market-driven products – to make things to be the next big tech startup.”
Lubik is currently working on redeveloping the university’s entrepreneurship program into a more “holistic offering” that would see all faculties working together, bringing together people with “disparate but complementary talents.”
Prior to joining SFU, Lubik most recently worked as a fellow of the NanoForum at the University of Cambridge. That opportunity came almost by accident, as Lubik had gone to the world-class university for a two-month co-op term that ended up with her being offered full tuition to earn her master’s degree and her PhD, both in the fields of technological entrepreneurship and social innovation.
She also holds a BBA in marketing and international business.
Lubik has been recognized for her academic work, having recently received the 2013 Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management’s Dr. Theo Williamson Award for her paper, “Market-pull and technology-push in manufacturing startups in emerging industries.”
Lubik said she usually has at least two jobs going on at any time. In addition to her work at SFU, she is currently the director of Lungfish Dive Systems, a startup that developed and is now selling a rebreather system for divers.
Lubik is not sure what the future will hold for her work, but she knows that she wants to be involved in more startup companies.
“I always have a plan, but so far it has never worked out,” she said. “So far, it has always worked out way better than my plan.”
