Mark Coburn is the interim director, with expertise in licensing, research administration, startups, and business development. He manages a large portfolio of inventions and acts as a mentor for intellectual property evaluation, patenting, and licensing. He has a multitude of experiences in technology transfer at four public and private R1-level research institutions during his career before joining Georgia Tech in 2018. Mark has a degree in zoology from Miami University and an M.S. in technology management from Pepperdine University.
Meet the Technology Licensing Team
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.
Ben DeGreen, CLP > Senior Licensing Associate
Ben DeGreen is a senior technology licensing associate with 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.
Craig Bohlken, MS > Licensing Associate
Craig Bohlken is responsible for technologies primarily relating to the mechanical and chemical arts that encompasses material sciences, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals. Craig is a registered IP-patent professional with 20 years of experience at global law firms and at Fortune 500 organizations, including General Electric, the Coca-Cola Company, Kimberly-Clark, and most recently Johnson & Johnson. He has extensive corporate licensing experience, working with universities, government-funded research organizations, and both private and publicly traded companies. He has also drafted and filed more than 100 patent applications and prosecuted more than 300 patent applications throughout his career.
Kashmira Kulkarni, PhD > Licensing Associate
Dr. Kashmira Kulkarni is a 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.
Michael Varon, JD > Licensing Associate
Michael Varon is a technology licensing associate with expertise in intellectual property evaluation, patenting, and licensing. He is a registered patent attorney and prior to joining the Office of Industry Engagement 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.
Tiffany Ross, MBA > Accounting Manager
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.
Jo Bryan > Patent Manager
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.
