Speakers

Dr. Scarlett Miller is the Paul Morrow Professor of Industrial and Mechanical Engineering Design at Penn State University and founder & CEO of Medulate. 

With over a decade of NIH-funded research in simulation-based medical training, she has authored 100+ peer-reviewed publications and holds four U.S. patents in haptic simulation technology.

Dr. Miller's work bridges engineering design, human-computer interaction, and clinical education. Her research in procedural simulation has been validated through clinical trials at leading academic medical centers including Penn State Hershey Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Prior to founding Medulate, Dr. Miller served as Director of the Center for Research in Design and Innovation and currently directs the Cocoziello Institute for Real Estate Innovation at Penn State. She was named an ASME Fellow in 2024 in recognition of her contributions to engineering design and medical simulation.

Dr. Miller holds a PhD in Industrial Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and dual degrees in Industrial Engineering and Psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Benjamin Birnbaum is a Partner at Keyframe, a special situations fund based in NYC that targets $20-100m investments related to the impact of energy transition on industry. Prior to starting Keyframe, Ben founded Terawatt, an infrastructure developer, owner, and operator for large scale (10MW+) electric vehicle charging. Terawatt has raised >$1B and provides fleet charging to the likes of Pepsi and Waymo.

Ben holds bachelor's and master's degrees in accounting from Pennsylvania State University, graduating with both from Smeal in 2012. He lives in NYC with his wife Amy (also PSU '12, now an orthopedic surgeon). Ben is competing in the Happy Valley Ironman in June.

After gaining experience in civil engineering and building forensic analysis, Mr. Burchlaw earned an MBA from The University of Texas in 2000. With nearly two decades of experience in the real estate industry, he continually recognized the difficulties real estate investment firms faced in managing information and assessing their portfolios. This insight led him to create RE Analytics to address these challenges.

Mr. Burchlaw has a wealth of experience on the principal side of the business. He began his real estate career at a private equity investment firm in Dallas, TX, working as an acquisitions and asset management associate. Over ten years at Forest City Enterprises (which was acquired by Brookfield Asset Management in 2018), he oversaw three major mixed-use development projects in Dallas. As Executive Vice President for a family office, he served as lead developer on a 66-acre super-regional mall redevelopment project.

Charles is a seasoned executive with a distinguished record of leadership in the commercial real estate industry. With nearly two decades of experience, he has held senior positions at prominent firms, first at The Abbey Company in Los Angeles and as a Partner at ABS Partners Real Estate in New York City, where he managed vast portfolios of commercial properties.

His expertise spans sales, leasing, asset management, and the implementation of forward-thinking sustainability initiatives. Charles has successfully led multidisciplinary teams and overseen numerous high-profile projects, including the repositioning and re-development of major commercial buildings. These initiatives demanded an in-depth analysis of energy infrastructures, equipping him with a robust understanding of building energy systems that he expertly applies in his current endeavors.

In addition to his real estate accomplishments, Charles has developed a deep knowledge of the rapidly evolving prop-tech and climate-tech sectors, honed through his role as founder and managing partner at Caesium Ventures.

Charles has also contributed to the community through his service on the board of the Union Square Partnership in New York City and currently serves as a board member of the Borrelli Institute for Real Estate Studies at Penn State University.

He holds a Bachelor's degree from Penn State University.