Ann DeWitt has been named chief operating officer of the Engine, the MIT-created program to drive commercialisation efforts of research-intensive innovations.

The Engine, the commercialisation program launched by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2016, has named Ann DeWitt (pictured) as chief operating officer.

DeWitt was previously senior director of business development and licensing transactions at healthcare firm Sanofi, a position she had held since May 2016. She holds a PhD in chemical engineering from MIT, which she gained after obtaining an MBA from Harvard University.

She will help the Engine build out its corporate network and program to support the…