Our Team
Sam T. Liss
Associate Provost and Chief Technology Development Officer
Sam leads the OTD team in its mission to bring Harvard innovations out of the lab towards real-world impact, and to engage with industry partners to advance Harvard research. He oversees the strategic management of the portfolio of IP arising from Harvard’s research enterprise and leads Harvard’s efforts to commercialize technologies for the public good. This includes IP management, business development, industry engagement, commercialization strategy, and the formation of startup companies and new ventures advancing Harvard innovations. In tandem, he leads a team responsible for structuring and negotiating research alliances and collaborations with industry and for securing industry-sponsored research funding for Harvard faculty.
Prior to Harvard, Sam served in a variety of business development roles at venture capital-backed startups and was vice president of Corporate Marketing at Dialogic Corporation, which was later acquired by Intel. He was also a management consultant at Booz, Allen & Hamilton, advising clients in the software, semiconductor, and electronics sectors. Sam holds an MBA from Columbia University and a BS in electrical engineering from Syracuse University.
Members of the Business Development team are the primary point of contact for both Harvard researchers and our external partners. The directors of business development foster connections with industry collaborators, create comprehensive plans to advance technologies in labs throughout the University toward licensing and commercialization, and catalyze the launch of new startups.
LIFE SCIENCES
Paul Resnick, MD
Director Technology Commercialization - Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering
Grant R. Zimmermann, PhD
Managing Director of Business Development, Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator
PHYSICAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
The Corporate Alliances team manages the strategic research alliances between Harvard and corporate partners that are engaging in multi-year support of projects across the University.
Our two accelerators help bridge the “development gap” by supporting and guiding early-stage technologies with great commercial potential toward key milestones in development and validation.
BLAVATNIK BIOMEDICAL ACCELERATOR
Grant R. Zimmermann, PhD
Managing Director of Business Development, Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator
Anu Natarajan, PhD, MBA
Director of Project Advancement, Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator
HARVARD GRID ACCELERATOR
The Intellectual Property (IP) team of attorneys and legal administrators manages the University’s IP portfolio (e.g., patents), from first filing through to commercialization and beyond. Working closely with Harvard inventors, collaborating institutions, licensees, and OTD’s Business Development team, they ensure good strategic alignment with overall business development plans.
IP MANAGEMENT
Denlyn Atherton
IP Portfolio Specialist, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering
James (Jay) Culverwell, JD
Senior Associate Director of Intellectual Property, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering
Vani Velamoor, PhD
Associate Director of Intellectual Property, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering
IP POLICY
This group of OTD staff provides strategic leadership to guide major initiatives, supports collaboration among closely affiliated institutions, develops new strategic partnerships, and ensures that we provide the highest quality service to all Harvard innovators, to external partners, and to society as a whole.
The Transactions team structures, drafts, and administers OTD’s legal agreements, including those pertaining to technology licenses, industry-sponsored research, corporate alliances, equity, material transfers, and confidentiality. Members of this team streamline negotiations, advise on contractual and policy questions, and ensure compliance with executed agreements.
Natasha N. Aljalian, MBe, JD, LLM
Senior Associate Director of Technology Transactions, Oversight and Enforcement.
David A. Hackett, JD, MBA
Associate Director, Technology Transactions - Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering
Katherine "Kat" Holliday, JD
Senior Associate Director of Technology Transactions
Kimberley Danzi Overs, JD, LLM
Senior Associate Director of Technology Transactions - Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering
Members of OTD’s administrative staff manage overall operations, human resources, logistics, and reporting/analysis. The Finance team oversees OTD’s fiscal resources and manages accounts payable and receivable, including the disbursement of royalties and other licensing revenue to Harvard inventors.
FINANCIAL OPERATIONS
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Communications is the point of contact for news/media, publicity, events, outreach, and OTD’s digital platforms.
