Pennsylvania State University (PSU) has appointed Harl Tolbert (pictured), former director of research unit Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center’s tech transfer office, as its assistant vice-president for research.
Tolbert will also act as director of the institution’s tech transfer arm, Office of Technology Management (OTM).
Tolbert will collaborate with other PSU departments, such as the Office of Entrepreneurship and Commercialization and Office of Industrial Partnerships, and with external ventures such as seed fund Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central and Northeast Pennsylvania.
Tolbert had been with Roswell Park since 2013, managing a commercialisation fund. He had previously spent seven years as associate director of University of Rochester Medical Center’s tech transfer office.
Before that, Tolbert held a range positions in the private sector, including as a sales analyst for chemical and agricultural products at healthcare R&D firm Abbott Laboratories and as a licensing associate at funeral embalmment fluid supplier Pierce Chemical.
Neil Sharkey, vice-president for research at PSU, said: “As we look to translate research into real-world impact, the work done at OTM becomes an increasingly key piece of the research enterprise.
“Harl’s combination of scientific, academic and business experience will no doubt make him an effective ambassador for tech transfer at PSU, and we look forward to implementing new strategies to help PSU become more competitive in this area.”
– Image courtesy of Penn State University
