Jia Mi is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering at the University of Michigan. Jia’s research focuses on offshore renewable energy and the Blue Economy. Beside technical breakthroughs, Jia also keeps eyes on technology transformation and business development. To seek commercialization of his technical achievement, Jia collaborated with the students from Columbia University and won the Best Business Plan Award in the U.S. DOE Marine Energy Collegiate Competition. What’s more, Jia is also devoted to outreach, leadership and professional service for the research community. Jia is serving as the Chair of the International Network on Offshore Renewable Energy (INORE), which aims to help support and empower students and early-career professionals in offshore renewable energy fields through networking and professional events. Because of his great efforts on outreach, teamwork and leadership, Jia was named to the inaugural Board of Directors of University Marine Energy Research Community (UMERC) as the only student representative, which aims to foster collaboration within the U.S. marine energy research community and amplifies the impacts of foundational research. In his leisure time, Jia likes traveling and playing soccer.