Leadership

Alice Li

Alice Li

Executive Director, CTL

Executive Director, CTL


Email: xl11@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-254-4487 (Ithaca Office)
646-962-7046 (WCM Office)

Alice Li is the Executive Director of Center for Technology Licensing at Cornell University (CTL), the university’s technology transfer office. She oversees activities in technology management, licensing, marketing and finance to support Cornell’s goals in commercializing technologies, promoting startups, and building partnerships. Alice also leads the university gap funding series to accelerate innovation and new venture creation.

Alice has over 20 years of experience in university tech transfer and business development. She started as a licensing officer with hands-on management of invention portfolios, negotiations of complex deals, and engagement with startup companies. She rose through the ranks of CTL and became the Executive Director in 2014. Prior to joining CTL in 2002, Alice was an R&D manager at BioArray Solutions, a startup biotech company in diagnostics that was later acquired by Immucor. During her five-year tenure there, the company grew from a two-person startup to an enterprise of fifty people.

Alice obtained her Ph.D. from Cornell University and a B.S. from Tsinghua University. She is also an inventor, patent holder, and author of research papers in scientific journals. She has been a Certified Licensing Professional since 2010. Alice is a Board Director of AUTM.









Lisa Placanica

Lisa Placanica

Senior Managing Director, CTL @ WCM

Senior Managing Director, CTL @ WCM


Email: lmp26@cornell.edu
Phone: (646) 962-7046

Dr. Placanica is Senior Managing Director, Center for Technology Licensing at WCM. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing WCM’s activities in technology management, marketing, licensing, and outreach to support Cornell’s goals in commercializing technologies, promoting start-ups, and building partnerships.

Prior to joining WCM in 2020, Dr. Placanica held the position of Managing Director, Business Development and Licensing at Mount Sinai Innovation Partners. In this role, she was responsible for managing a team of business development professionals focused on identifying, advancing, and partnering therapeutic technologies developed at the Mount Sinai Health System and acted as deal team lead for closing complex intellectual property transactions. Dr. Placanica also was a Licensing Manager in the Office of Technology Development at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center where she focused on development and commercialization of cell and gene therapy related inventions and previously was a key member of the Cell Biology research group at Athersys, Inc in Cleveland, Ohio.

Dr. Placanica received her Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Weill Cornell Medical College where she studied the biochemical composition of gamma secretase and its role in Alzheimer’s Disease in the laboratory of Dr. Yueming Li at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She holds a B.A. in Biology from Cornell University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with Distinction.

In 2013, Dr. Placanica became a Certified Licensing Professional.









Licensing & Business Development

Reach out to a Licensing and Business Development Officer anytime or during one of our Office Hours to learn about partnering Cornell technologies with industry sectors and new venture community.

Ithaca Life Sciences

Phillip Owh

Phillip Owh

Director, Business Development & Licensing – Life Sciences

Director, Business Development & Licensing – Life Sciences


Email: po62@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-254-4508
Cell: 607-220-4905

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.









Aris Despo

Aris Despo

Associate Director, Business Development and Licensing

Associate Director, Business Development and Licensing


Email: add74@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-254-4460

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.









Albert Y. Tsui

Albert Y. Tsui

Associate Director, Business Development and Licensing

Associate Director, Business Development and Licensing


Email: ayt28@cornell.edu
Phone: (607) 254-5979
Cell: (847)840-5369

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.









Marie Donnelly

Marie Donnelly

Business Development & Licensing Associate for the Life Sciences

Business Development & Licensing Associate for the Life Sciences


Email: mkd32@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-254-4557

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).









Sarah Ward

Sarah Ward

Business Development & Licensing Associate for the Life Sciences

Business Development & Licensing Associate for the Life Sciences


Email: smw343@cornell.edu
Phone: (607) 255-7162

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).









Stephen Nowak

Stephen Nowak

Business Development & Licensing Associate for the Life Sciences

Business Development & Licensing Associate for the Life Sciences


Email: srn62@cornell.edu
Phone: (607) 254-4815

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.









Emily Courson

Emily Courson

Plant Variety and Research Material Specialist

Plant Variety and Research Material Specialist


Email: eac293@cornell.edu
Phone: (607) 254-7920

Emily is the Plant Variety and Research Material Specialist. 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.

Emily graduated from Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) with a Bachelor’s degree in plant sciences in the spring of 2022.









Ithaca Physical Sciences

Martin Teschl

Martin Teschl

Director, Business Development & Licensing – Physical Sciences

Director, Business Development & Licensing – Physical Sciences


Email: mt439@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-254-4454

Martin leads the Physical Sciences business development & licensing team and manages a diverse portfolio of technologies across engineering and physical sciences domains as well as computing and information sciences.

Before joining CTL, Martin was a business development manager for Harman/Becker Automotive Systems in Farmington Hills, Michigan. He was responsible for the strategic employment of new product features in the area of automotive speech dialogue systems, vehicle infotainment, and acoustics technologies. Martin started his career with Harman as an acoustics R&D engineer at AKG Acoustics in Vienna/Austria.

He obtained a Dipl.-Ing. (MS) degree in Electrical and Audio Engineering from the Graz University of Technology in Austria. He is a member of the Licensing Executives Society and the Association of University Technology Managers. Martin has been a Certified Licensing Professional (CLP) since October 2012.









Ryan Luebke

Ryan Luebke

Associate Director, Business Development and Licensing

Associate Director, Business Development and Licensing


Email: rtl77@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-254-4483

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.









Maxim Shabrov

Maxim Shabrov

Business Development & Licensing Associate for the Physical Sciences

Business Development & Licensing Associate for the Physical Sciences


Email: ms2964@cornell.edu
Phone: (607) 254-4549

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.









Jesús M. García-Figueroa

Jesús M. García-Figueroa

Innovation Fellow

Innovation Fellow


Email: jg2475@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-254-4698

Jesús M. García-Figueroa, or Jesús, is an Innovation Fellow at the Physical Sciences team. In this role, Jesús supports the CTL office in identifying, assessing, and marketing technologies from Cornell researchers.

He holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Rochester, awarded in 2022, and an M. Eng. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, obtained in 2012. Furthermore, he boasts a double bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, as well as a minor in Manufacturing, Management, and Business Technology Enterprises, all from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, earned in 2009.

His notable accomplishments include exploring whether it is possible to create melanin-based composite materials to shield or harvest energy from the electromagnetic spectrum, depicting the usefulness of the ambipolar-state of the electron cyclotron resonance – microwave – chemical vapor deposition method for creating films used on fusion energy target shells and evaluating and breaking down the costs of building a local bioproducts processing plant using microalgae biomass as feedstock for making jet fuel in a cost-effective way at the detailed design level.









Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM)

Brian Kelly

Brian Kelly

Director, Technology Licensing

Director, Technology Licensing


Email: bjk44@cornell.edu
Phone: 646-962-7041
Cell: 646-226-1446

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








Mina Zion

Mina Zion

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

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


Email: mwz9@cornell.edu
Phone: (646) 962-7058




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.









Jeffrey Anson James

Jeffrey Anson James

Associate Director, Business Development and Licensing

Associate Director, Business Development and Licensing


Email: jaj268@cornell.edu
Phone: (646) 962-4194

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.









Donna J. Rounds

Donna J. Rounds

Associate Director, Business Development and Licensing

Associate Director, Business Development and Licensing


Email: djr296@cornell.edu
Phone: 646-962-7044

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.

 









Louise Sarup

Louise Sarup

Associate Director, Business Development and Licensing

Associate Director, Business Development and Licensing


Email: lss248@cornell.edu
Phone: (646) 962-3523




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.









Jamie Brisbois

Jamie Brisbois

Manager, Business Development and Licensing

Manager, Business Development and Licensing


Email: jamie.brisbois@cornell.edu
Phone: (646) 962-7049

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.









Iris Bica

Iris Bica

Business Development and Licensing Associate

Business Development and Licensing Associate


Email: ib342@cornell.edu

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.









Ivan Gando

Ivan Gando

Business Development and Licensing Associate

Business Development and Licensing Associate


Email: ig285@cornell.edu

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.









Bruce Toman

Bruce Toman

Technology Transactions Associate and MTA Coordinator

Technology Transactions Associate and MTA Coordinator


Email: toman@cornell.edu
Phone: 646-492-9869

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.









Richard Nguyen

Richard Nguyen

Manager, Alliance Management PICI

Manager, Alliance Management PICI


Email: rhn28@cornell.edu
Phone: (646) 962-7735




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.









James Bellush

James Bellush

Manager, Scientific Scouting

Manager, Scientific Scouting


Email: james.bellush@cornell.edu
Phone: (646) 962-7080




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.









Technology and Venture Initiatives & Engagement

The Technology and Venture Initiatives & Engagement (TVIE) team is responsible for engaging a diverse audience with programs ranging from funding to educational programming and showcasing the impact of Cornell’s innovations through marketing and communication efforts. TVIE coordinates the relationship with early-stage investors and angel groups, ensuring a continuous support cycle for Cornell’s IP-driven startups.

Lynda Inséqué

Lynda Inséqué

Director, Technology and Venture Initiatives & Engagement

Director, Technology and Venture Initiatives & Engagement


Email: lci2@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-254-4547

Lynda leads the TVIE team to advance technology translation, commercialization, venture development, and outreach to internal and external CTL constituencies. She oversees the development of programs and marketing and communication strategies. She leads the coordinated efforts of CTL’s Business Development and Marketing efforts. She also leads the management of the Ignite gap funding series and manages the new Seed Fund for investment in Cornell and regional startups. She works to forge strategic partnerships with organizations both within the Cornell campuses and externally, aiming to foster engagement within the innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Previously, Lynda was the Assistant Director of Technology Initiatives & Outreach at CTL. Before joining CTL in 2014, Lynda was a Deputy Attachée with the French Consulate in Boston, where she promoted research collaborations and coordinated scientific seminars/programs and with LexisNexis where she was a biopharmaceutical analyst.

Lynda holds a bachelor’s degree in Immunology and Microbiology from the University of Bordeaux Segalen and holds a master’s degree in both Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry from the University of Bordeaux Segalen as well as in Management of Technology and Innovation from the University of Paris Dauphine. She is currently enrolled in the Executive MBA in Healthcare Leadership program at Cornell University.









Veronica Buezo Talavera

Veronica Buezo Talavera

Manager, Digital Media & Marketing

Manager, Digital Media & Marketing


Email: vbt6@cornell.edu
Phone: (607) 255-9475




Veronica is responsible for managing social and digital media and coordinating marketing efforts for CTL, including website management, graphic design, among others. She promotes CTL’s programs, licensed startups, commercialized products, inventors and their innovations, staff and interns using several digital media platforms, and proposes better practices to achieve the office’s communications goal. She also coordinates the data reporting.

Veronica joined CTL in January 2022. Prior to joining the team, Veronica worked for three years as a marketing and communications specialist at UF Innovate, the commercialization arm at the University of Florida, where she was introduced to the technology transfer field.

Veronica received her BA in Communications and Advertising and MS in Marketing Management from the Central American Technological University (UNITEC) in Honduras.









Kris Valentine Behnke

Kris Valentine Behnke

Manager, Innovation Outreach

Manager, Innovation Outreach


Email: kvb24@cornell.edu
Phone: (607) 254-4639

Kris is responsible for supporting the planning and execution of CTL outreach activities across Cornell’s campuses. She coordinates signature events, meetings, webinars, info and training sessions, showcases, and special events. She helps generate awareness of CTL’s mission and services while encouraging activity growth through attention to participant interest and satisfaction. She supports CTL’s programming, including the Ignite Cornell: Research Lab to Market series, CTL Practicum, Women Innovators Initiative, and other related programs.

Kris joined CTL in January 2022. Prior to joining the team, Kris worked in management and administration for live theatre, specializing in the production of large events and creative program development in hundreds of venues across the United States, most notably in NYC. Additionally, Kris taught in the Performing Arts Department at SUNY Cortland for six years.

Kris received her BS in Communication Theory from the Millersville University of Pennsylvania and her MS in Nonprofit Arts Administration from Le Moyne College in Syracuse.

 









Aaron Delahanty

Aaron Delahanty

Manager, Technology Acceleration and Venture

Manager, Technology Acceleration and Venture


Email: abd99@cornell.edu
Phone: (607) 254-5545

Aaron Delahanty joined the Center for Technology Licensing as a Venture Fellow in 2022 and currently holds the title of Technology Acceleration and Venture Manager, a position within the Technology and Venture Initiatives & Engagement (TVIE) group at CTL.

In this role, Aaron manages the Ignite gap funding programs: Ignite Innovation Acceleration, Ignite Fellow for New Ventures, and Ignite Intern for Startups. His work focuses on expanding the office’s outreach to university innovators and supporting faculty and entrepreneurs in accelerating Cornell technologies. He coordinates with the Business Development groups to identify projects and intellectual property with high potential for commercialization and actively monitors the progress of Cornell-licensed startups.

Prior to joining CTL, Aaron contributed to the research and development of a variety of technologies, including positions held at Harvard Medical School’s Wyss Institute and Belgium’s semiconductor research institute, imec.

Aaron undertook his Ph.D. research at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. He holds an MSc in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Glasgow and a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology.









Intellectual Property Management

This team focuses on managing patent application and prosecution, IP information, relationship with outside counsel and government reporting.

William Pegg

William Pegg

Director of Intellectual Property

Director of Intellectual Property


Email: wdp48@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-254-4502

William (Bill) is the Director of Intellectual Property (IP). He joined CTL in June 2019 to lead the team of IP Officers and the IP service group, to oversee CTL IP asset, and support the licensing and business development functions.

Prior to joining CTL, Bill Pegg practiced as an intellectual property attorney for over 20 years, helping to protect the intellectual property of numerous Fortune 500 corporations, small corporations, foreign corporations and entities, premier educational institutions and start-up companies.  Bill’s practice included preparation and prosecution of patent applications and trademark applications, building and managing patent portfolios, transactional work, client counseling, and opinion work.  In his spare time, Bill was also a business mentor for start-ups at the University of Chicago, Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Bill’s expertise encompasses a variety of technologies including, but not limited to, biometric devices and systems (e.g., fingerprint scanning, facial recognition), security and access management systems (e.g., smart cards, near field devices, proximity readers), solid-state devices, semiconductor processing, software, telecommunications (e.g., wireless technology, near field communications, etc.), instrumentation and control systems, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, robotics, drones, automotive systems (e.g., control systems, V2V and V2X technology, driver assist technologies), wireless charging systems, autonomous vehicles, medical devices, smart textiles, performance garments, composite materials, microfluidic devices, fiber optics and haptic devices.  Bill also has expertise in computer systems, cyber-security and privacy and is CISSP Certified by (ISC)2 and is CIPP/US Certified by IAPP.

Education

  • JD, Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), Chicago-Kent College of Law
  • BS, Mechanical Engineering, Rutgers University College of Engineering.








Patent Management

Eugene Masters

Eugene Masters

Senior Intellectual Property Officer, Life Sciences (Ithaca)

Senior Intellectual Property Officer, Life Sciences (Ithaca)


Email: eim28@cornell.edu
Phone: (607) 254-4514

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








Zoe Zhong

Zoe Zhong

Intellectual Property Officer, Physical Sciences (Ithaca)

Intellectual Property Officer, Physical Sciences (Ithaca)


Email: zz458@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-254-5229

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

 









Eric Bryant

Eric Bryant

Intellectual Property Officer, Biomedical Sciences (WCM)

Intellectual Property Officer, Biomedical Sciences (WCM)


Email: ecb233@cornell.edu
Phone: (646) 962-7052




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.









IP Services

Michelle Shields

Michelle Shields

Intellectual Property Services Manager

Intellectual Property Services Manager


Email: mms67@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-254-4622

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)








Renee Passeri

Renee Passeri

Intellectual Property Assistant

Intellectual Property Assistant


Email: rew258@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-254-4490

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 & Finance

This team focuses on financial accounting services, contract services and royalty distributions.

Yalverton Luckain

Yalverton Luckain

Director for Contract & Finance

Director for Contract & Finance


Email: yl2677@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-254-4496

As the Associate Director for Contract & Finance, Yalverton oversees contract compliance and accounting & financial operations for CTL.

Previously, Yalverton served as the Assistant Director of Finance at Columbia Technology Ventures where he managed their financial operations, revenue forecasting, and equity portfolios. He also spent time as a Tax Preparer for the IRS and Accountant for Lead International in NYC.

Education

  • BS – Accounting, Johnson and Wales University (North Miami, FL)








Contract Services

Raelene Mellott

Raelene Mellott

Contract Manager

Contract Manager


Email: rlm436@cornell.edu

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.









Kimberly Taulbee

Kimberly Taulbee

Contract Services Representative

Contract Services Representative


Email: kmt74@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-254-4683

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.









Danielle Reaume

Danielle Reaume

Senior Administrator for Contract Services

Senior Administrator for Contract Services


Email: des33@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-254-4457

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

Matt Pitcher

Matt Pitcher

Senior Administrator, Financial Services

Senior Administrator, Financial Services


Email: mdp227@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-254-5224

Matt serves as the accounting team leader and coordinates accounting support activities with other CTL staff. He manages the royalty distribution process and develops and maintains accounting procedures for various intellectual property activities.

Prior to joining CTL, Matt worked at Facilities and Campus Services as a financial analyst. At Cornell, he has also worked at the Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering as an Account Representative and did a rotational assignment with Internal Audit, where he worked as an audit assistant. Matt has a Master’s Degree in Taxation from SUNY Binghamton and is a licensed CPA in New York State.









Elaine Knapp

Elaine Knapp

Financial Services Representative

Financial Services Representative


Email: ek628@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-254-5236

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








Administration

Ithaca

Camila Fuhr Diel

Camila Fuhr Diel

Executive Assistant/Office Manager

Executive Assistant/Office Manager


Email: cef98@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-254-4486

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.









Jessica Paulson

Jessica Paulson

Administrative Coordinator

Administrative Coordinator


Email: jlp57@cornell.edu
Phone: (607) 254-4792

Jessica provides administrative support at CTL. She is the first point of contact and is responsible for welcoming visitors. Jessica also provides support to the associate directors in Life Sciences and Physical Sciences, as well as the IP group, the Technology Initiatives and Outreach group, and the Finance Group on scheduling complex, multi-party meetings, as well as providing support on expense reports, resolving issues regarding payment requests, make sure all required documentation has been provided, and any other requests as needed.

Before joining CTL, Jessica worked at the Statler Hotel, where she was responsible for supervising some of the daily activities at the hotel, including, but not limited to, opening the department, running shift reports, coordinating with the front desk, and also implementing and developing solutions for special requests. She was also responsible for ensuring quality control in the hotel’s public areas, ensuring special requests were placed, and addressing all maintenance issues.









Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM)

Annie Cheng

Annie Cheng

Office Manager

Office Manager


Email: acheng@cornell.edu
Phone: 646-962-7043

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.









Brenda Mejia

Brenda Mejia

Administrative Assistant

Administrative Assistant


Email: bjm279@cornell.edu
Phone: (646) 962-7045

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.









CTL Interns

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Meet CTL’s outstanding group of interns who support the team to achieve their strategic goals. More here.