Louisville Organoid Research Network Seminar: Sri Kidambi, PhD

Event Details

The Office of Research and Innovation invites you to the September 2026 seminar of the Louisville Organoid Research Network. Dr. Srivatsan (Sri) Kidambi (Director, NIH Standardized Organoid Modeling (SOM) Center, National Institutes of Health) will deliver a seminar titled: “The NIH Standardized Organoid Modeling (SOM) Initiative: Building Trusted Human-Relevant Platforms for Drug Discovery, Regulatory Science, and Clinical Translation.” The seminar will take place on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. ET, via Teams. 

Speaker Biography

Srivatsan (Sri) Kidambi, PhD 
Director, NIH Standardized Organoid Modeling (SOM) Center 
National Institutes of Health 

Dr. Srivatsan (Sri) Kidambi is the Director of the NIH Standardized Organoid Modeling (SOM) Center, an NIH-wide initiative establishing the national infrastructure to standardize, validate, and scale human organoid technologies for biomedical research, precision medicine, and regulatory science. He also serves as Scientific Program Director within the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Division of Intramural Research/Research Technology Branch (RTB), where he leads strategic initiatives advancing human-relevant research platforms, AI-enabled biomedical research, and enterprise-wide scientific modernization. 

An engineer by training with more than 20 years of leadership experience across academia, industry, biotechnology, and government, Dr. Kidambi has built a career translating scientific innovation into scalable research infrastructure. Recruited to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to provide scientific and strategic leadership for its clinical and advanced technology portfolio, he managed research programs exceeding $100 million annually under the FFRDC model while leading governance, portfolio optimization, and cross-NIH initiatives. He also serves on the NIH Intramural IRB, contributes to the NIH Bio Genesis Initiative, serves as a Subject Matter Expert for the NIH AI Strategy Research Pillar, and participates in the NCI Research Portfolio Innovation, Optimization, and Alignment Working Group, helping shape the future of AI-enabled biomedical research.

Before joining NIH, Dr. Kidambi was a tenured Associate Professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he founded the internationally recognized FOCUS Laboratory. Dr. Kidambi received his PhD in Chemical Engineering and MS in Chemistry from Michigan State University, East Lansing. Earlier, he completed postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School and held research positions at Hitachi Chemical Research Center and New York Methodist Hospital, providing expertise spanning fundamental science, industrial innovation, and technology commercialization. He has secured more than $125 million in research funding, published 80+ peer-reviewed publications, holds six patents, founded the NIH-funded biotechnology startup Keshava Biosciences, and has mentored more than 80 trainees.

Internationally, Dr. Kidambi helps shape the future of human-relevant biomedical research through leadership in the ISSCR Consortium Validation Working Group and the ISO Working Committee on Organoids and Microphysiological Systems, advancing global standards for reproducibility, validation, and regulatory readiness. His vision is to integrate organoids, artificial intelligence, automation, and data science into trusted, interoperable research infrastructure that accelerates biomedical discovery, therapeutic development, and precision health. Dr. Kidambi is recognized for building durable scientific infrastructure - transforming organoids into trusted, interoperable reference systems for next-generation translational science.

About the Louisville Organoid Research Network

The Louisville Organoid Research Network was launched in February 2026 to connect UofL researchers working with or interested in organoids and human-relevant model systems. To join the Network's listserv and receive invitations to the monthly seminars and Network updates, follow the following steps: 

1.  Send an email to: listserv@listserv.louisville.edu
2.  Leave the subject line blank
3.  In the body of the message, type:
SUBSCRIBE ORGANOID-RESEARCH-NETWORK [Your Full Name]
(Example: SUBSCRIBE ORGANOID-RESEARCH-NETWORK Jane Smith)