Our Team

Director, Business Development & Licensing – Life Sciences

Phillip leads the Life Sciences team at Cornell’s Ithaca campus and is responsible for overseeing the group’s activities in commercializing technologies to meet Cornell’s mission. In addition, he manages a portfolio of inventions that span the life sciences spectrum from agriculture to human and animal health.

Prior to joining CTL, Phillip served as a Product Director at B. Braun Medical Inc., with overall P&L responsibility of the company’s two most profitable product areas in the US. Earlier, he served as Manager of Business Development and Market Research at Hemosol Inc., leading global partnering efforts for the company’s flagship product, then in Phase 3 clinical trials. He began his career with a brief stint at the Center for Technology Transfer at the University of Pennsylvania, then served as Technology Transfer Administrator and Program Coordinator at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Phillip received his MSc in Clinical Biochemistry and his BSc, Honors, in Neuroscience from the University of Toronto (Toronto, CA). He is a member of the Licensing Executives Society and the Association of University Technology Managers.

Associate Director, Business Development and Licensing

Aris is an Associate Director of Business Development and Licensing. His focus is on advancing CTL’s business development efforts with corporate partners and the commercialization of life science technologies.

Prior to joining CTL, Aris was managing partner in a consulting firm that worked with governments, universities, and companies to develop strategies to commercialize and monetize technologies and intellectual property. He has monetized IP portfolios for clients including GE Transportation, and spent 10 years at a public technology commercialization company with increasing responsibilities ranging from Consultant to EVP Business Development. He has licensed and/or launching technologies in the areas of diagnostics, renewable energy, FDA cleared medical devices, therapeutics, software, and financial technology.

Aris earned an EMBA from Rutgers University, and MSc in organic chemistry from the University of South Carolina, and a BA in chemistry from Washington & Jefferson College. He is a member of the Licensing Executives Society and also holds certificates in CLP, PMP, and CPVA.

Associate Director, Business Development and Licensing

Albert is an Associate Director of Business Development and Licensing. His primary focus is on advancing Cornell’s plant variety portfolio and assists in the management of other agriculture-related technologies and supervising outgoing MTAs.

Prior to joining CTL, Albert managed and licensed intellectual property developed by Washington State University faculty for a period of 7 years. Prior to WSU, Albert was a Patent Adviser for almost a decade for USDA-ARS and was based in the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, Illinois, and part of the ARS Technology Transfer Office. Prior to joining the Federal government, Albert was in private practice at a boutique IP law firm in Chicago.

Albert obtained his Juris Doctor from DePaul College of Law and is licensed to practice law in Illinois and is a registered Patent Attorney before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Albert is also a USDA Plant Variety Protection Board member.

Business Development & Licensing Associate for the Life Sciences

Marie Donnelly is the Business Development & Licensing Associate for the Life Sciences team. In her role, Marie supports the Business Development and Licensing Officers in managing and marketing the technology portfolio. She joined the Center for Technlogy Licensing in November 2020 as an Innovation Fellow in the Life Sciences.

Prior to joining CTL, Marie spent three years with Zymtronix, a Cornell technology startup working across research and development, business development, and communications. She also worked as the primary product development researcher for Agrynex, Zymtronix’s agricultural biotechnology spin-out company.

Marie has a BS in Environmental Engineering from UC Riverside (Riverside, CA), a PhD from Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) in Biological and Environmental Engineering, and worked as a postdoctoral research associate at the Energy Biosciences Institute at UC Berkeley (Berkeley, CA).

Business Development & Licensing Associate for the Life Sciences

Sarah Ward is a Business Development and Licensing Associate on the Life Sciences team. In this role, Sarah supports the Business Development and Licensing Officers in identifying, assessing, and marketing technologies from Cornell researchers. In addition, by engaging with Cornell faculty and students and attending and participating in on-campus seminars and meetings, Sarah will increase CTL’s on campus visibility and as well as CTL’s awareness of the cutting-edge research being conducted on the Ithaca campus.

Sarah has a Ph.D. in Polymer Science and Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where her research focused on the development of novel polymer-drug materials. She holds an M.S. in Polymer Science and Engineering (UMass Amherst) and a B.S. in Chemistry from Texas A&M University (College Station, TX).

Business Development & Licensing Associate for the Life Sciences

Stephen Nowak is a Business Development and Licensing Associate on the Life Sciences team. In this role, Stephen supports the CTL office in identifying, assessing, and marketing technologies from Cornell researchers. Stephen has a passion for helping researchers and students tap into their entrepreneurial potential to bring their cutting-edge innovations to market.

Stephen has a keen eye for identifying high-potential technologies and an ability to negotiate and secure partnerships that maximize value for all parties involved. He has a creative approach to problem-solving, exceptional project management skills, and consistently delivers results that drive growth and success.

Before joining CTL, Stephen worked as a lecturer at a Catholic University, teaching Genetics and Physiology. Stephen received a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Clemson University, where his research focused on short-peptide signaling in a nodule signaling pathway in legumes. He also holds a B.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Arizona.

Business Development & Licensing Associate for Plant Variety and Research Material

Emily is Business Development & Licensing Associate for Plant Variety and Research Material. In her role, Emily assists with managing Cornell’s Plant Portfolio by working closely with Cornell’s researchers and breeders, as well as other members of the CTL staff. Emily is also responsible for coordinating the transfer of tangible research materials between Cornell and other universities, nonprofits, and businesses.

Director, Business Development & Licensing – Physical Sciences

Associate Director, Business Development and Licensing

Ryan Luebke joined the Center for Technology licensing in 2017 and manages a diverse portfolio of technologies primarily from the Colleges of Engineering, Arts and Sciences, and Human Ecology. His portfolio includes a diverse range of technologies, including batteries, optics and photonics, advanced materials, MEMS/NEMS devices, and microscopy and imaging.

Ryan came to Cornell from Imperial College London, where he worked as a post-doctoral research associate in the Chemical Engineering department. Before that, he worked as a lab scientist in an oil refinery lab at Saudi Aramco, overseeing a team of technicians.

Ryan obtained his Ph.D. in Chemical Sciences at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and his MBA at the University of South Florida, where he worked as a marketing intern at the University of South Florida’s tech transfer office.

Business Development & Licensing Associate for the Physical Sciences

Maxim Shabrov joined the Center for Technology Licensing in October 2021 as the Business Development & Licensing Associate for the Physical Sciences team. In this role, Maxim supports the team’s technology commercialization efforts across physical sciences and engineering domains.

Before joining CTL, Maxim independently advised SBIR/STTR-funded startups on business and financial aspects of technology development, scaling, and commercialization and institutional clients on emerging technology investment opportunities. Prior to that, he was recruited by Battelle to help launch a $100m global VC fund with a mandate to invest in early and growth stage nanotechnology businesses. After closing the fund, Maxim served as the director of investments and general manager supporting the fund’s investment operations. Prior to joining Battelle, he served as director of finance at a business incubator where he led several startup financing programs. Maxim received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Brown University and did his post-doctoral research at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Innovation Fellow

Tian Tang is an Innovation Fellow with the Physical Sciences team. Her role involves identifying Cornell research with commercial potential, assessing markets, and developing innovation roadmaps for IP protection and marketing.

Tian obtained a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Cornell University in 2024. Her research focused on developing sustainable rechargeable batteries by suppressing physicochemical instabilities at electrochemical interfaces. Tian was a CTL practicant before joining the Physical Sciences team full-time. Prior to coming to Cornell, Tian earned a B.E. in Materials Science and Engineering from Zhejiang University.

Director, Technology Licensing

Brian is Director of the CTL office in NYC serving the Weill Cornell Medical College. He manages a portfolio of inventions focusing on oncology, metabolic diseases and endocrine disorders.

Prior to joining CTL, Brian served as Director of Intellectual Property for New York University’s tech transfer office. He has also held positions at the University of Minnesota as a Licensing Associate; Heide, Hyde & O’Donnell as a European Patent Attorney; and Smith, Kline & French as a Research Chemist.

Education

• PhD – Organic Chemistry, University of Leicester (Leicester, England)
• MSc – Intellectual Property, University of London (London)

Professional Affiliations

• Member, Association of University Technology Managers
• Member, Licensing Executives Society

Associate Director for Innovation and Commercialization, Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar (WCM-Q)

Mina Zion is the associate director for innovation and commercialization for the Weill Cornell Medicine campus in Doha, Qatar (WCM-Q). In this capacity, he oversees the broadening of the research enterprise in Doha by leading external research alliances with global partners across North America, Middle East and North Africa and the EU.

Prior to joining Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar, he was the corporate relations officer and interim president of Sentrimed Corporation, a university founded clinical stage biotech company that develops therapeutic drug candidates for targeting oral squamous cell carcinoma. In this role, he was responsible for identifying and negotiating a portfolio of licensing, partnership and manufacturing agreements, in addition to leading corporate fundraising and overseeing multiple c-suite and board appointments. Mr. Zion assumed similar roles at the University of Pennsylvania, at the University of Southern California and was the founding executive director of the Rowan University Office of Technology Commercialization, where he successfully led an effort to attract leading biotech partners to the region to engage in sponsored research, startup and licensing opportunities. Earlier in his career, Mr. Zion was an innovation scout at BASF Venture Capital and a Thomas G. Labrecque Scholar at JPMorgan Chase.

Mr. Zion received his Juris Doctorate from Rutgers University School of Law where he studied pharmaceutical, administrative and patent law. He holds a B.S. in Chemical and Biological Engineering from New York University Polytechnic Institute.

Associate Director, Business Development and Licensing

Dr. Jeffrey Anson James has over 15 years of experience helping academic institutions to commercialize their early-stage inventions. Prior to joining the Center for Technology Licensing at Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM), he was associate director for licensing at the Penn Center for Innovation, University of Pennsylvania, where he managed commercialization activities in the life science space. He has also held positions as licensing manager at both the University of Virginia and Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. James received his doctorate in biomedical sciences from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, and from there, moved on to complete his postdoctoral studies at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Later, as a licensing and patenting associate at the NIH, he cultivated his passion for helping to translate nascent inventions into commercially viable products and has worked in the field ever since. Dr. James’ goal is to work with faculty and industry to catalyze and facilitate productive interactions that lead to commercial success.

Associate Director, Business Development and Licensing

Donna has over 20 years of building value in early stage life science technologies—from sourcing emergent technologies to developing strategies for commercialization. She specializes in managing complex scientific and business relationships and leveraging the synergy of cross-functional teams in due diligence and technology assessments, prototype development, and proof-of-concept studies. She has a strong track record in successful outcomes through negotiation and transactions for licensing, sponsored research, and the creation of strategic alliances in pharma, biotech, and academia. Her passion is launching innovative projects into next-generation products for health and wellness care.

Donna received her doctorate in molecular biophysics and biochemistry at Yale University. Instead of pursuing a postdoctoral position, Donna found herself in the start-up world as one of the founders of Physiome Sciences, Inc., the first in-silico drug discovery platform using computational models of cells, tissues, and organs. She later joined the British Technology Group (BTG Plc) as a technology scout where she visited academic institutions across the East Coast searching for biotech projects in the early stages of development. Although she loved the work at BTG, her small son needed more mommy time, so she joined Columbia Technology Ventures (CTV) to be closer to home. Donna managed a portfolio of investigators at Columbia Medical School, working with Noble laureates and world class scientists. She was later recruited to lead the technology development program at Hospital for Special Surgery, which focused on musculoskeletal innovations in orthopedics and rheumatology. Donna recently joined the advisory board of Tohi Ventures as a scientific advisor, and co-founded Nirova BioSense, an emerging enterprise dedicated to the development of optical sensors for real-time detection of ovarian cancer biomarkers.

Associate Director, Business Development and Licensing

Dr. Louise Sarup is an associate director, Business Development and Licensing at Weill Cornell Medicine. Prior to joining CTL, Dr. Sarup was based in Singapore where she was head of business development and licensing for D3 (now EDDC), a drug discovery and development group based at A*STAR. Some of her previous roles include corporate development manager at S*BIO Pte Ltd. (Singapore), an oncology-focused biotech, vice president of business development at Paramount Biosciences (London), where she was responsible for in-licensing drug development assets and director (licensing) at Cytiva, a global life science company. Dr. Sarup has also worked for leading life science and health care communication agencies and UCL Business, the commercialization company of University College London.

Dr. Sarup earned her Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering from University College London, MSc in Biotechnology from Nottingham Trent University, and B.Eng (Hons) in Chemical and Process Engineering from Newcastle University.

Manager, Business Development and Licensing

Dr. Jamie Brisbois is a manager, business development and licensing based in New York City. In this role, he collaborates with Weill Cornell Medicine innovators to identify, market, and license life sciences technologies.

Prior to joining the Center for Technology Licensing in 2021, Dr. Brisbois worked as a consultant with ClearView Healthcare Partners, a boutique healthcare consulting firm based in Boston. In addition, he served three years as a fellow with Columbia Technology Ventures (CTV), the technology transfer office of Columbia University.

Dr. Brisbois received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Columbia University, where he helped develop a scalable signaling language for engineering multicellular communication in the laboratory of Dr. Virginia Cornish. He holds a B.A. in Chemistry, Biochemistry, and French from Lawrence University (Appleton, WI), where he graduated Magna Cum Laude.

Dr. Brisbois partners with innovators from the departments of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, and Pharmacology.

Business Development and Licensing Associate

Iris Bica joined the CTL at Weill Cornell Medicine in the NYC office as a Business Development and Licensing Associate in November 2022. In this role, she assists the CTL@WCM team with identifying, assessing, and marketing their portfolio of life science technologies.

Before joining the team, Iris gained experience in business development and technology transfer at Tulane University’s Office of Intellectual Property Management and CancerTools.org, the reagent arm of Cancer Research UK. Iris holds a BS in Cell and Molecular Biology from Tulane University.

Business Development and Licensing Associate

Dr. Ivan Gando joined the Center for Technology Licensing at Weill Cornell Medicine as a business development and licensing associate in 2023. In his role, he supports the team’s technology commercialization efforts.

Prior to joining the team, he gained experience in technology transfer by participating in the Mount Sinai Innovation Partners internship program as a business development fellow, where he completed didactic coursework on academic technology transfer and then, as a selected participant, gained immersive, hands-on experience.

Dr. Gando obtained his Ph.D. in Biomedical Science from New York University Grossman School of Medicine, where he worked on translational drug discovery efforts targeting ion channels across various therapeutic areas in Dr. William Coetzee’s laboratory. He earned his B.A. from New York University, with studies in Biochemistry, Mathematics, and Anthropology.

Technology Transactions Associate and MTA Coordinator

Bruce Toman started working at CTL in 2000 and managed a portfolio of inventions, devices, and research tools, mostly in the CNS space, before leaving CTL to join a startup in 2016.  He returned as a consultant, working on a diverse range of specific projects for the licensing officers and handling outgoing MTAs for WCM.

Manager, Alliance Management PICI

Dr. Richard Nguyen is the manager, alliance management PICI for the collaboration between Weill Cornell Medicine and the Parker Institute of Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI). In this role, he supports the Center for Technology Licensing (CTL) and Dr. Jedd Wolchok, the Meyer Director of the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center, by serving as the primary liaison to manage intellectual property matters pertaining to the consortium.

Dr. Nguyen leverages over a decade of experience in securing and managing strategic partnerships with academic collaborators and top pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Prior to joining Weill Cornell Medicine in 2024, Dr. Nguyen led business development efforts at Xylyx Bio, Inc., a university spinout that develops advanced preclinical drug testing platforms for metastatic cancer and fibrotic diseases. During the pandemic, he worked with a multidisciplinary team of experts on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative to evaluate SARS-CoV-2 point-of-care diagnostics for feasibility of accelerated scale-up manufacturing. He has developed an expansive network from working at top-tier research institutions and in various technology transfer offices including as a technology licensing officer at Columbia Technology Ventures. He has also participated in several accelerator and entrepreneurial programs, contributing his expertise toward evaluating innovations for commercial potential and developing business strategies for early-stage ventures.

Dr. Nguyen earned his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a minor in Neurobiology. He holds a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with minors in Physics and French.

Manager, Scientific Scouting

Dr. James Bellush is a manager of scientific scouting for the Business Development and Licensing team at Weill Cornell Medicine. In this role, he helps to continually expand the pipeline of Weill Cornell innovations by sourcing and developing research projects with high commercial translation potential. Dr. Bellush is also responsible for identifying external funding opportunities, research collaborations and strategic alliances with industry and academic partners.

Prior to joining the Center for Technology Licensing in 2024, Dr. Bellush worked as a venture associate with RTW Investments, a full-life cycle health care investment firm based in New York. In this role, he was responsible for the sourcing, scientific diligence and preclinical development of assets for RTW portfolio companies. Dr. Bellush has drug development experience across a range of therapeutic areas which include cardiovascular, neurological and rare disease.

Dr. Bellush received his doctorate in Molecular Biology from Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, where he used genomics approaches to study how chromatin structure influences DNA replication and transcription dynamics during C. elegans embryogenesis (lab of Dr. Iestyn Whitehouse, Memorial Sloan Kettering).  He holds a B.S. in Biology from Moravian University, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude.

Senior Intellectual Property Officer, Life Sciences (Ithaca)

Eugene (Gene) Masters is the Senior Intellectual Property Officer for Life Sciences. He joined CTL in December 2019 as part of the IP group to manage intellectual property matters for life science technologies. He reviews submitted disclosures and manages domestic and foreign patent filings and prosecution, including utility and plant patent filings.

Prior to joining CTL, Gene trained as a biochemist specializing in protein X-ray crystallography. His doctoral work focused on structural studies of the proteasome in complex with activator complex. His postdoctoral training centered on therapeutic targets in M. tuberculosis.

Gene is a registered patent attorney and has experience in private practice and in corporate practice. Gene’s expertise includes molecular diagnostics, chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, nutraceuticals, water treatment, mechanical devices, trademarks, and design patents.

Education

• J.D., J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University
• Ph.D., Biochemistry, University of Utah
• B.S., Chemistry, Arizona State University

Intellectual Property Officer, Physical Sciences (Ithaca)

As an IP Officer, Zoe manages patent activities such as patent applications and prosecutions for physical sciences inventions, working closely with the Physical Sciences Technology Licensing Officers to align IP protection process of specific technology with its commercialization strategy.

Prior to joining CTL, Zoe was a patent analyst for Cardinal Intellectual Property in Evanston, Illinois where she provided patent search and examination of PCT patent applications and generated PCT/ISA reports for United States Patent and Trademark Office. She also conducted patentability, invalidity and landscape searches and analysis for law firms, universities and companies.

Zoe is a registered US patent agent. She has a broad education and research background in chemistry, engineering, computer science, and biology areas. Zoe’s expertise includes, but not limited to, chemicals and materials, engineering and manufacturing devices, software, computer systems, control systems, imaging systems, battery, textile, pharmaceuticals, medical and biological technologies.

Education

Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University

M.S., Computer Science, Georgia Institute of Technology

M.S., Biochemical Engineering, Zhejiang University

B.S., Bioengineering, Zhejiang University

Intellectual Property Officer, Biomedical Sciences (WCM)

Eric Bryant is an intellectual property officer for Cornell University’s Center for Technology Licensing. He holds a Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering from New York University (NYU), a Juris Doctor from New York Law School, and is a registered patent attorney.

Mr. Bryant joined the Center for Technology Licensing May 2022, and he works closely with the Weill Cornell Medicine business development and licensing team to execute on intellectual property strategy, review submitted invention disclosures, and manages domestic and foreign patent filings and patent prosecution. Prior to joining Cornell University, Mr. Bryant practiced as an intellectual property attorney and as in-house IP counsel managing health care-focused IP portfolios. Mr. Bryant’s expertise encompasses a variety of technologies including, but not limited to, diagnostics tools and methods, pharmaceuticals, controlled release therapeutic devices, respiratory devices, surgical tools, biological technologies and nanotechnology.

Intellectual Property Services Manager

Michelle manages Cornell’s Intellectual Property Services group to ensure all IP applications are properly filed, prosecuted, and maintained. She coordinates the efforts of Cornell, CTL, and a variety of external legal resources to accomplish broad protection of Cornell’s inventions, trademarks, and copyrights. Budgetary control is also part of her responsibilities.

Previously, Michelle served as an administrative assistant with the Office of Sponsored Programs at Cornell University.

Education

• BS — Organizational Management, Keuka College (Keuka, NY)
• AAS — Business Administration, Cayuga Community College (Auburn, NY)

Intellectual Property and Governance Assistant

Stephanie is the Intellectual Property and Governance Assistant at CTL. She is responsible for disclosures (birth to grave), funding compliance reporting, and annuities. Prior to joining CTL, Stephanie worked with another university as an administrative assistant for their tech transfer department after having worked as a patent secretary at a boutique IP firm and a general practice firm.

Intellectual Property Assistant

Renee is the Intellectual Property Services assistant at CTL. She is responsible for maintaining all of Cornell’s Intellectual Property within a specialized database that tracks all aspects of the patent application’s life cycle. Renee also assists with gathering formality documents and preparing formal letters.

Prior to joining CTL, Renee working as a real estate administrator for a general practice law firm in Cortland NY.

Education

• BS – Political Science, State University of New York at Cortland
• Post Bachelor’s Paralegal Certificate, Tompkins Cortland Community College

Contract Manager

Raelene Mellott joined the Center for Technology Licensing in May of 2023 as the Contract Manager. She manages the contracts team that supports agreements for IP management and licensing functions for the office.

Prior to Cornell, Raelene was a License Compliance Specialist for the Office of Technology Management at The Pennsylvania State University. There, she was responsible for the agreement data management, material and performance compliance enforcement, the distribution of licensing revenue, and developing revenue projections for management financial forecasts. She also has extensive investment management experience from her many years as an Accountant for Trinity Investments, a division of Oppenheimer-Funds. Raelene holds a BS in Accounting from the Pennsylvania State University.

Contract Services Representative

Kimberly is a Contract Services Representative. Her main duties include assisting the Senior Administrator for Contract Services in the management and compliance of CTL’s contracts, including agreement entry, reminding our licensees of upcoming obligations and following up on any outstanding obligations.

Senior Administrator for Contract Services

Danielle is the Senior Administrator in the management of all of CTL’s contracts, including docketing of new agreements and monitoring of active agreements to ensure compliance.

Danielle joined CTL in September 1998 as an Administrative Assistant and quickly expanded her responsibilities. She was promoted to the new position of Licensing Assistant where it was her responsibility to assist the Technology Commercialization and Liaison Officers with managing and licensing their patent portfolios. She moved to Contact Services in August 2007 as the Contract Services Administrator, and was promoted in 2014 to Senior Administrator for Contract Services with the support of a junior member of the group.

Prior to joining CTL, Danielle, a native of Canada, worked for 10 years as an Office Assistant for a sewer and water main wholesale/retail company where her main responsibility was Accounts Receivable management.

Financial Services Representative

Elaine handles the account receivable duties at CTL which includes applying payments made by licensees as well as sending invoices required under the terms of each license agreement. She also tracks performance obligations for all active agreements and works with licensees to ensure they are in compliance with the reporting terms of the agreement.

Before joining CTL, Elaine worked in the Business Service Center for the Research Division at Cornell University as a Personal Accounts Representative. Prior to working at Cornell, Elaine was the Business Manager for the Finger Lakes Library System.

Education

• • B.S. Accounting, Binghamton University

Account Representative IV, Financial Services

Angela is responsible for Accounts Payable duties at CTL. In this role, Angela oversees the uploading and reviewing of invoices from attorney firms to ensure that expenses are correctly allocated to the appropriate Intellectual Property accounts. She also manages the export of approved invoices for payment processing and coordinates with attorney firms to request additional information for invoices that are rejected due to missing or incorrect data. Angela identifies and resolves invoice issues, notifies firms of necessary corrections, and ensures the accuracy of related expense records. Additionally, Angela reviews monthly statements for overdue payments, provides payment status updates to firms, and assists with related queries. Angela completes the month-end reconciliation of payments processed in Sophia against those issued in Oracle and provides high-level customer service to attorney firms seeking information or assistance with outstanding payments.

Angela holds an associate’s degree in accounting from Mohawk Valley Community College and is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in accounting part-time at SUNY Empire. Prior to joining CTL, Angela worked as an Accountant at The OnCenter in Syracuse, NY, and as a Staff Accountant at Centro Bus in Syracuse, NY. She has extensive experience in the insurance and finance industry and previously held Series 7 and 66 licenses for investment.

Executive Assistant/Office Manager

Camila Fuhr Diel is the Executive Assistant to the Executive Director and Office Manager of the Center for Technology Licensing (CTL) at Cornell University. She provides administrative and business support for the Executive Director’s activities, works as the primary contact for internal and external stakeholders and manages operational and HR related activities of the office.

Camila holds a Bachelor in Law degree from Brazil and a Masters of Law degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Before joining CTL in January 2020, Camila worked at South Dakota State University as a Sponsored Program Specialist and Licensing Coordinator at the Office of Technology Transfer and Commercialization. Camila’s tech transfer experience also includes a 2-year term as Patent Coordinator at a venture capital firm located in Brookings, South Dakota.

Office Manager

Annie Cheng is the Office Manager at the Center for Technology Licensing at Weill Cornell Medicine.  In addition to managing activities related to the office’s daily operations, she handles attorney invoices and patent reports. She also works closely with WCM inventors to complete formal papers.

Prior to joining the Center for Technology Licensing, Annie worked at GE Medical Systems as a mechanical engineer. She received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Administrative Assistant

Brenda provides administrative support for CTL at Weill Cornell Medicine. She assists the NYC team with daily tasks maintaining and organizing office operations and procedures, controlling correspondence, designing filing systems, and assigning and monitoring clerical functions. Brenda always welcomes staff, faculty, and visitors with a friendly smile.

She returns to Cornell after three years. Previously she worked at Weill Cornell Medicine as an administrative assistant in the Department of Surgery, Vascular and Endovascular. Prior to joining WCM in 2022, Brenda also worked at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.