On April 24, 2025, the Office of Technology Management hosted the eighth annual Celebration of Inventors, an event to honor and recognize Washington University inventors, researchers and faculty entrepreneurs. Honorees included 2024 United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) awardees; newly elected National Academy of Inventors Fellow and Senior Members; and the recipient of the 2025 […]
Researchers in Chakrabarty lab create first-of-its-kind pathogen sensor
The inaugural Venture Fellows program will graduate the current cohort with a virtual pitch event on April 4, 2025. During this online event, each Venture Fellow will present their own pitch to a panel of ecosystem investors and partners. This event is the culmination of an intensive six-month curriculum including experiential learning in venture capital […]
Researchers in Chakrabarty lab create first-of-its-kind pathogen sensor
OTM’s own Carol Priddy, Intellectual Property Manager and Gina Smutz, Compliance Manager, have been recognized by TechPipeline with the Impact Award, Excellence in Office Operations. This Impact Award was presented to Carol and Gina during a special reception, March 2, 2025 at the AUTM annual conference. In their respective roles at OTM, Carol and Gina […]
OTM’s Malcolm Townes, PhD, MBA, presented at the 2025 WashU Researcher Forum in a session titled, “Translating Research Discoveries Into Beneficial Products and Services: Lessons from the WashU Gap Fund Operated by the Office of Technology Management”. A recording and slides from the presentation are available on Box. (WUSTL-key protected)
One of the most valuable substances in the world has never been replicated. Are we close?
Polina Lishko, PhD, Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology and BJC Investigator at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, was selected to the 2025 Equalize Startups cohort in the therapeutics category. Lishko joins 38 other women academic entrepreneurs in a six-month mentoring, training and networking program that culminates in a virtual pitch event […]
Every January, OTM heads to San Francisco for J.P. Morgan week during the largest health care symposium in the industry that connects global industry leaders, emerging fast-growth companies, innovative technology creators and members of the investment community. Throughout the week, OTM team members had over 30 meetings with investors, working to make connections to help […]
WashU employs 22,181, an increase of nearly 6,000 jobs in five years
The December 2024 issue of the Bayh-Dole Bulletin spotlights Gina Smutz, Compliance Manager with OTM. Read the full profile here.
Check out the latest issue of OTM’s newsletter, Innovation Insights, Fall 2024 edition. Subscribe here to receive future issues direct to your inbox.
The Office of Technology Management is pleased to announce four new Washington University Gap Fund awards. The Gap Fund, operated by the Washington University Office of Technology Management (OTM), provides support to help de-risk and mature technologies created by WashU researchers and facilitate their commercialization. The WashU awardees and their technologies include: Kevin M. Bennett, […]
The Office of Technology Management (OTM) hosted a Domain Expert Program (DEP) panel on November 21, 2024 geared to the MedTech vertical market. Three pitches by WashU innovators were evaluated by DEP Advisory Board members, consisting of experts in the MedTech space. The participating researchers received customized feedback on their pitches and will use that […]
On November 7, 2024, the Office of Technology Management celebrated the annual Welcome to the Wall, an event recognizing and celebrating WashU IP startup companies. WashU startup founders, faculty, OTM staff and ecosystem friends gathered for an evening of community while recognizing 10 new FY24 WashU IP startup companies and the talented innovation teams behind […]
The Office of Technology Management’s (OTM) Women in Innovation & Technology program brings together WashU’s women academic researchers to celebrate their achievements in technology commercialization and showcase successful role models. This year’s annual luncheon, held October 30, 2024, featured keynote speaker, Jennifer N. Avari Silva, MD, a professor of pediatrics and of biomedical engineering and Co-Founder and Chief […]
Doug E. Frantz has been appointed the new vice chancellor for innovation and commercialization at Washington University in St. Louis, effective Jan. 1, according to Chancellor Andrew D. Martin and David H. Perlmutter, MD, executive vice chancellor for medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine.
External dollars solve major challenges, spark local job growth, development
The Washington University in St. Louis Office of Technology Management (OTM) and BioGenerator announce the inaugural Venture Fellows cohort. This cohort of four WashU postdoctoral researchers will participate in an intensive six-month curriculum that provides experiential learning in venture capital investing and company creation, as they work alongside entrepreneurs, investors, and faculty in the St. Louis ecosystem. […]
Malcolm Townes, PhD, MBA, innovation fund manager for Washington University’s Office of Technology Management, recently had a journal article published in Journal of the Knowledge Economy presenting the results of a study aimed at understanding how technology maturity level influences the incidence of university technology transfer to the private sector. Read the full article here.
The Office of Technology Management was happy to sponsor an undergraduate summer intern for 2024. Sam Wardenburg, a rising junior at American University, in Washington D.C, joined OTM in June as a summer intern working on special data projects for the New Ventures team. This fall Sam will return to American University where he is […]
Check out OTM’s inaugural newsletter, Innovation Insights, Summer 2024 edition. Subscribe here to receive future issues direct to your inbox.
Washington University in St. Louis was ranked among the top 100 U.S. universities granted patents in 2023, according to a report released June 4 by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).
Malcolm Townes, PhD, MBA, innovation fund manager for Washington University’s Office of Technology Management wrote a column for the May issue of Technology Transfer Tactics, a monthly newsletter developed by Tech Transfer Central. Townes’ column, “TRL scale is a useful if imperfect tool for TTOs” was in response to the article “Technology Readiness Level Scale: […]
Washington University selected to support Mizzou in accelerating translational research
WashU will serve as the mentor institution to the University of Missouri – Columbia (MU) as part of the U.S. National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Accelerating Research Translation (ART) program. NSF announced in late 2023 the first-ever Accelerating Research Translation (ART) awards to empower academic institutions to accelerate the pace and scale of translational research that […]
Juliane Bubeck Wardenburg, MD, PhD, and Russell Pachynski, MD, are among 10 physician-scientists nationwide named as recipients of the Harrington Discovery Institute 2024 Scholar-Innovator Award. The scholar awards support breakthrough new treatments for heart disease, autoimmune disorders, cancer, infectious disease, inflammation, and rare diseases using small molecule, nucleic acid, vaccine, biologic, and gene therapies. Bubeck […]
These entrepreneurial St. Louisans are taking novel approaches that are reshaping a range of sectors in ways large and small.
University supported 54,380 jobs; drew $978 million in research funding to the region
Washington University Office of Technology Management staff attended AUTM University in Kansas City October 4-6, 2023 to learn best practices and new strategies from seasoned technology transfer experts. As a professional development opportunity for technology transfer professionals, AUTM University is offered through AUTM, a non-profit organization that supports and advances technology transfer worldwide. Gina Smutz, […]
National Hispanic Heritage Month is recognized annually from September 15–October 15 by celebrating the histories, cultures, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. Here we profile two Washington University faculty members and how their Hispanic and Latino backgrounds have helped shape their academic careers and approach to innovation. Jonathan Silva, PhD: Professor, Department of Biomedical […]
Gina Smutz, Compliance Manager, Office of Technology Management was recently featured in the AUTM Insight newsletter’s Big Reveal, a recurring section that profiles AUTM members. Read the full article here.