Our goal is to provide Georgia Tech’s research community and industry collaborators with the support and resources they need to transfer breakthrough innovations. We help industry license and continue to develop and commercialize Georgia Tech’s cutting-edge innovations, effectively managing our intellectual property.
Every member of our team is dedicated to achieving this goal. Visit our Contact Us page to connect with them.
770.658.8820
Mary Albertson is responsible for directing the team that manages intellectual property created at Georgia Tech. She is an internationally recognized leader in the field of technology transfer. For most of her career, she was with Stanford University, where she culminated her 26 years there as Associate Director of Operations for the Office of Technology Licensing. In 2019, she joined PIVOT, the University of Utah's technology transfer office, where she managed all teams involved in the invention and licensing continuum and participated in the development and implementation of strategic planning. She has experience managing diverse caseloads in both life sciences and physical sciences. She has a B.S. in physiology from the University of California, Davis and is a Certified Licensing Professional (CLP) and Registered Technology Transfer Professional (RTTP).
In addition, from 2016 to 2018, she was the President-Elect/President of AUTM, the international organization of university technology transfer professionals. During her presidency, she implemented their strategic plan and and represented the association regarding legislative advocacy for the profession.
404.894.4739
Ben DeGreen has more than 15 years of technology license experience and expertise associated with commercial and early-stage technologies in the chemical and consumer goods industries at two Fortune 300 companies. He is a Certified Licensing Professional and has additionally held positions in sales and internal auditing as well as led a cross functional team for the automation and redesign of pricing IT systems. Ben has a bachelor of science in chemical engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
470.936.4641
Dr. Gennaro Gama holds a B.Sc. in Chemistry and a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry with an emphasis on Materials Chemistry. In 2000, he joined the licensing team at UPenn’s Center for Technology Transfer managing inventions developed at the NSF-funded Materials Research Science and Engineering Center. In 2002, he joined the University of Georgia Technology Commercialization Office (now Innovation Gateway) as Licensing Manager – Physical Sciences, having risen through the ranks to Senior Licensing Manager II and Contracts Officer. While at UGA he developed several programs that led to hundreds of executed licenses and products launched in the market.
470.936.4527
Dr. Rachel Bender is a licensing associate with a research background in nanotechnology, surface chemistry, and biophysics. Prior to starting with Georgia Tech, she completed a yearlong training program in the Office of Technology Transfer at Emory University, where she evaluated commercialization potential of their technologies. Rachel also has experience in nonprofit management, and has successfully managed a 501(c)(3) arts organization for the past three years. Rachel earned her B.A. in Chemistry and Mathematics from Capital University and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Emory University.
770.827.8636
Jo Bryan is responsible for patent management and maintaining Georgia Tech Research Corp.'s patent database. Jo has worked in the intellectual property field since 2000, specializing in U.S. patent prosecution, U.S. trademark prosecution, and copyright law. Jo has a B.S. degree in criminal justice from the University of South Florida.
470.654.7554
David Haun is a technology licensing associate with a research background in the life and marine sciences. Prior to joining Georgia Tech, David worked at the Office of Innovation & Commercialization at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where he helped accelerate the technology transfer initiatives and developed both university and community-based startups. He has experience licensing technologies to Fortune 500 companies and has fostered relationships with stakeholders in government and academia as well. David holds a B.S. in biology from the Pennsylvania State University and received his M.S. from the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
470.303.2350
Dr. Kashmira Kulkarni is a senior technology licensing associate with research and development as well as startup experience. She has a robust academic background in the life sciences, specifically in preclinical small molecule therapeutics, precision immunotherapy, and microbiome. Kashmira holds an M.S. in microbiology and immunology and a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from Wright State University. She received her postdoctoral training at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
470.426.5137
Madeleine Marietta is a business development manager with a background in biochemistry, healthcare, and business. Prior to starting with Georgia Tech, she served at Carilion Clinic Innovation where she worked to commercialize and license medical innovations. Madeleine also has financial analysis experience from her work with the Student Endowment for Educational Development at Virginia Tech where she assisted in managing one of the largest student run portfolios as an industrial sector analyst. Madeleine holds a B.S. in biochemistry from Virginia Tech.
470.426.4951
Dr. Jennifer Minnick is a technology licensing associate with a research background in the physical sciences. Prior to joining Georgia Tech, Jennifer worked at NUtech Ventures, the tech transfer affiliate for the University of Nebraska - Lincoln (UNL). While there, she evaluated innovations stemming from UNL research for their patentability, developed marketing campaigns to promote commercialization of inventions, drafted term sheets and license agreements, and participated in entrepreneurial activities hosted by NUtech and outside organizations. Jennifer holds a B.S. in Chemistry from GC&SU and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Oklahoma State University.
470.626.8071
James Rives is a Georgia native who earned a B.S. in Biochemistry at Georgia Tech and a Ph.D. in Chemical-Biology at Johns Hopkins University. After two years as a Postdoctoral Licensing Associate at the University of Georgia, he returned to his alma mater, Georgia Tech, in the Office of Technology Licensing.
404.385.3691
Tiffany Ross is responsible for post-license maintenance and various accounting matters for the licensing group. Before joining the licensing group, she worked in post-award accounting for sponsored projects and has worked with the Georgia Tech Research Corp.'s accounting team for more than 15 years in a number of roles. Tiffany has a degree in computer science from Georgia Tech and an MBA from Georgia State University.
470.377.3545
Chanel Saunders is a proud native of Chicago, Illinois. She received her B.S. in Community Health from the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) and M.S. in Health Administration from the University of St. Francis. It was with BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois where she began her career in finance. After serving with that organization for eight amazing years, she relocated to Atlanta, Georgia in 2015. In the Peach State, she continued her career in healthcare finance but found herself seeking a change post-pandemic. In 2021, she joined Georgia Institute of Technology. She is happy to be one of the newest members of the Office of Technology Licensing.
470.464.5126
Michael Varon is a senior technology licensing associate with expertise in intellectual property evaluation, patenting, and licensing. He is a registered patent attorney and prior to joining Office of Technology Licensing was a practicing patent attorney within the areas of electrical, software, and mechanical technologies. Before becoming an attorney, Michael researched fluid engineering technology and worked as a desktop support engineer. Michael has a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech and a JD from Emory University.
404.971.8810
Angie Watson is the Senior Administrative Professional for the Office of Technology Licensing. Angie has worked in higher education for 24 years. The last 15 years have been in technology licensing. She serves as the first point of contact for questions and scheduling meetings. Angie holds a degree in General Business Studies.
470.936.3697
Gabe Wilkinson is the business development manager of commercialization with experience in intellectual property licensing, technology marketing and startups. He has been working in technology transfer since 2017 and has held research commercialization roles while participating in entrepreneurial programs like NSF I-Corps and the Comcast pitch deck competitions. He received his Management Information Systems degree from The University of New Mexico in 2019.