Tech Challenge Spotlight: Atkinson Lab
“As we move our sensors from the lab toward commercialization, this input is essential for identifying and meeting real market needs.”
Joshua Atkinson, Founder, Atkinson Lab
Winning The Water Council’s Tech Challenge comes with a $10,000 prize, but the rewards are much greater than that, according to previous winners. In the coming weeks, we will profile the three winners of our spring 2025 Tech Challenge. The challenge sought innovations in three categories selected by our corporate sponsors, A. O. Smith Corporation, Badger Meter, Watts Water Technologies and Xylem.
Atkinson Lab, based at Princeton University in New Jersey, won the spring Tech Challenge in the category of sensors for biological organisms and disinfectant byproducts. Learn more about the company in the interview below with founder Joshua Atkinson.
We launched our fall Tech Challenge, focused on water quality, on Sept. 2. We will hold a virtual Q&A about the challenge on Sept. 16. Click here to register.
Tell us more about your innovation.
The Atkinson Lab develops biohybrid devices that detect small-molecule chemicals and biological macromolecules (such as proteins, RNA and DNA) by converting binding events into electrical signals. The core innovations are twofold: engineering protein-based sensors that can be tailored to recognize specific target molecules and developing methods to integrate living cells with electrochemical devices.
The protein engineering foundation was established during my graduate work at Rice University, and the device fabrication techniques were advanced during my postdoctoral research at the University of Southern California. At Princeton, my group is combining these methods to build sensors for emerging contaminants, with the long-term goal of packaging them into scalable devices that can be used to monitor pollutants in both water infrastructure and natural watersheds.
Why did you enter the Tech Challenge?
I entered the Tech Challenge to explore the potential of our sensors with industry members. Our sensor platform is highly adaptable to different target molecules, so a key goal was to identify future targets of greatest interest to stakeholders in the water sector. Our innovation was a strong fit for the competition because we have demonstrated functionality at TRL 5 — showing that our sensors can operate in relevant environments at the bench scale — for both endocrine-disrupting molecules and disinfectant byproducts.
How does winning the Tech Challenge affect your innovation?
Winning the Tech Challenge gave us the opportunity to share our sensor innovations with key stakeholders in the water industry. These conversations are shaping our choice of target molecules most relevant to the sector and guiding the development of devices that can integrate with existing water infrastructure. As we move our sensors from the lab toward commercialization, this input is essential for identifying and meeting real market needs.