University of Pennsylvania-Associate Director, Physical Sciences Licensing

• Organization: University of Pennsylvania
• Title: Associate Director, Physical Sciences Licensing
• Salary range: $110,000-$150,000
• Salary offers are made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, as well as internal and market factors and grade profile.
• Work environment & Location: Eligible for hybrid work
• Visa Sponsorship: Must be eligible to work in the U.S.

Gardner Innovation Search Partners has been exclusively retained to recruit the position of Associate Director, Physical Sciences Licensing at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA.

The Associate Director, Physical Sciences Licensing, will be a dedicated team member of the Penn Center for Innovation (PCI) within the Engineering, Physical and Applied Sciences Office and will report to the Executive Director, Physical Sciences Licensing. The Associate Director will assume primary responsibility for directly facilitating the technology transfer, development and commercialization of assigned technologies from faculty/departmental clients; assisting designated School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), School of Arts and Sciences (SAS), School of Design and Wharton School of Business researchers, along with researchers from other schools if applicable, with the establishment of new commercialization agreements and business development relationships; supporting the establishment of R&D collaborations with industry partners to advance early stage discoveries; and managing relationships with key stakeholders internal and external to Penn to proactively enable technology transfer.

Job Responsibilities:

• Develop, lead and maintain strong working relationships through regular meetings with faculty and administrators in SEAS and SAS, along with School of Design and Wharton as applicable. Manage patenting, marketing, licensing IP and IP matters related to sponsored research for assigned faculty.
• Identify, establish and lead industry relationships for technology development and commercialization, in collaboration with SEAS and SAS, and School of Design and Wharton as applicable, faculty and other PCI staff; market technologies to established companies.
• Identify and analyze the commercial potential of research programs and discoveries; develop commercialization strategies and marketing activities for technologies arising from SEAS and SAS, School of Design and Wharton as applicable, and any joint technologies between SEAS/SAS and the Perelman School of Medicine for assigned faculty.
• Participate in the licensing aspects of new start-up ventures, with primary focus on SEAS, SAS, School of Design and Wharton as applicable, and joint technologies between SEAS/SAS and the Perelman School of Medicine.
• Draft and negotiate license agreements, including deal documentation, with primary focus on SEAS and SAS, and School of Design and Wharton as applicable.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Masters or Ph. D. degree or equivalent doctoral degree and 5 year to 7 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience is required. The Associate Director shall preferably have a Ph.D. in a physical sciences, computer science, or engineering related field with 5 years of experience in technology transfer, business development or equivalent intellectual property/corporate contracts experience. A successful track record of working in both academic and corporate environments is preferred.
• Highly advanced professional discipline. The candidate must be a dedicated team player, have outstanding customer service skills, exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, demonstrated technical skills and business acumen, and must be able to interact effectively in academic and corporate cultures. This candidate should be knowledgeable of intellectual property and licensing practices, proficient at multitasking and be an independent self-starter with a strong work ethic. The Associate Director must be able to manage and prioritize a large and diverse set of relationships, tasks and projects, and to be able to identify and manage inventions in fields outside of their area of technical expertise. Strong negotiation skills are desired along with the ability to excel in a relatively independent and flexible work environment.