USC Appoints New Executive Director for USC Stevens Center for Innovation

LOS ANGELES, March 18, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The USC Stevens Center for Innovation, a university-wide resource that helps USC innovators make impact with their ideas, today announced the appointment of Jennifer Dyer as Executive Director.

At USC, Dyer will focus on increasing the breadth and scope of private sector engagements that lead to the adoption and use of university-generated inventions, software and other innovations. She will also help in recruiting transformative faculty to the university by ensuring that USC supports their translational research, intellectual property management, patenting, licensing, mentoring and translational funding, as well as assistance with spinning out university technologies. Particular areas of focus will include customer services for faculty and industry partners, building strategic sponsored research relationships with private companies, increasing technology disclosures and deal executions. Dyer will begin in her new position on March 25, 2013.

Dyer joins USC from Life Technologies Corporation, where she served as a Corporate Development Consultant, leading the development of negotiation strategy and negotiating key licensing deals. Dyer has 20 years of experience in technology transfer, including serving as Director of Technology Development at The Scripps Research Institute. At Scripps, Dyer contributed to growth in both licensing activity and corporate sponsored research, including major funding relationships with Novartis, Johnson & Johnson and PPG. Her experience at Scripps includes supervising 800 licensing negotiations for equity, royalties and other financial terms, formation of 30 start-up companies and over 300 research funding agreements.

"I am very excited to have Jennifer Dyer joining USC Stevens as its new Executive Director," states Randolph Hall, Vice President of Research at USC.  "Jennifer is a proven leader and brings a wealth of experience in technology translation that we know will result in USC research making a greater impact on society and the market."

USC Stevens is supported by an endowment provided by Mark and Mary Stevens, which enables the university to provide services that go beyond the typical technology transfer office. The university remains committed to ensuring that USC Stevens is a leader in empowering USC faculty and students to maximize the impact of their research and scholarship by creating successful relationships with investors, corporations and other private entities, as well as initiating start-up companies.

About the USC Stevens Center for Innovation
The USC Stevens Center for Innovation (http://stevens.usc.edu) is a university-wide resource in the Office of the Provost at the University of Southern California that helps identify, nurture, protect and transfer to the market the most exciting innovations from USC. It also provides a central connection for industry seeking cutting-edge innovations in which to invest. As part of this role, the USC Stevens Center manages the university's intellectual property portfolio stemming from its approximately $650 million annual research program. Furthermore, the USC Stevens Center develops the innovator as well as innovations, through educational programs, community-building events and showcase opportunities.

Media Contact:
Ian Murphy
p. (310) 689-6397
[email protected]

SOURCE USC Stevens Institute for Innovation