Joan C. Dunbar, Ph.D. has been named as associate vice president of technology commercialization in the Division of Research at Wayne State University. Dunbar assumes her new position effective immediately. She was appointed following a competitive national search.
Her appointment comes after she emerged as the transformational leader the university sought.
Last year, Dunbar joined WSU’s Division of Research as interim associate vice president of technology commercialization. In that time, she nearly doubled faculty invention disclosures.
She also facilitated the pipeline of nine start-up opportunities and anticipates several companies launching in the near future.
Dunbar also initiated a mentors-in-residence program, created an innovation fellows program, began the Technology Development Incubator, and strengthened partnerships with WSU’s TechTown.
These significant achievements were powered by grant funds, projected to be $2.5 million over a three-year period that Dunbar secured from the New Economy Initiative (NEI).
“The grant from the NEI has allowed Wayne State to re-invent technology commercialization on our campus,” said Hilary Ratner, Ph.D., vice president for research at Wayne State. “With the help of the NEI, Dr. Dunbar is re-energizing our faculty and students to translate their research in even more productive ways that benefit not only the university but the region, state and nation as well. Dr. Dunbar’s deep knowledge and experience will serve Wayne State and our faculty well as we advance the mission of the Wayne State’s Technology Commercialization Office.”
Dunbar received her Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Sydney, and undertook postdoctoral studies at the Carlsberg Laboratory in Copenhagen, Denmark and subsequently at the University of California, Irvine.
“I look forward to continuing to build the infrastructure to support technology commercialization and to effectively capitalize on the research enterprise at WSU” said Dunbar. “I am pleased to be chosen to lead the university’s efforts and work with our faculty and local and state wide resources to bring innovative products and services to the clinic and to the marketplace.”
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