Paul Ashley and Brendan Ludden will be responsible for life sciences and physical sciences, respectively.

Oxford University Innovation (OUI), the technology transfer office of University of Oxford, yesterday named Paul Ashley and Brendan Ludden as new heads of tech transfer.

The move follows Matt Perkins joining OUI as chief executive in October 2016 and the promotion of Adam Stoten from head of tech transfer for life sciences to chief operating officer in April 2017.

Ashley was previously deputy head of technology transfer at OUI, having been with the office since 2011. He holds a PhD from Bradford University in Behaviour and Physiology, gained in 2004.

Ashley will be in charge of life sciences.

Ludden joins OUI from telecoms firm Vodafone, where he held various positions over 12 years, most recently technology lead for location insights. He gained a Masters of Engineering from Oxford in 1992 and a PhD in Engineering from University of Cambridge in 1997.

Ludden will be responsible for physical sciences.

OUI is set to conduct a strategic review over the coming months now that the office has its new top-level management team in place.

Ashley said: “Since joining OUI in 2011, I have seen an exponential increase in the amount and the diversity of intellectual property spinning out of the university.

“Yet, for me, this is just the beginning and there has never been a better time in Oxford’s long history to be involved in innovation and the translation of research into impact.

“Combining one of the richest veins of innovation in the world with the talent, expertise and passion we have here at OUI makes for a very exciting future.”

Ludden said: “I have long thought it would be fantastic to return to academia, and find a way to combine that with the commercial side of what I do, which this role at OUI allows me to do.

“More than that, there is something very attractive about the university acting as both a creative powerhouse and a wealth engine for the country.

“With the unprecedented rate of technological change we are now experiencing, no one knows exactly what the world will look like in five years’ time, but for me, Oxford seems like the place to be to see that change happen.”