Contact the Office of Research Commercialization
Phone: 919-515-7199
Fax: 919-515-3773
Email: commercialization@ncsu.edu
Follow us on Twitter: @ncstateORC
Courier
Office of Research Commercialization
North Carolina State University
Poulton Innovation Center, 2nd Floor
1021 Main Campus Drive
Raleigh, NC 27606
Post
Campus Box 8210
Raleigh, NC 27695-8210
Physical Address
Office of Research Commercialization, North Carolina State University,
1021 Main Campus Drive, 2nd Floor, Raleigh, NC 27606
Who do I contact?
Our Team
Leadership | Licensing | Finance & Operations | New Ventures
Leadership
Wade Fulghum, MBA, Interim Executive Director, Office of Research Commercialization
As Interim Executive Director for the Office of Research Commercialization, Wade leads the office efforts to commercialize research through programs aimed at discovering, validating and strengthening technologies and teams leading towards licensing opportunities and the launch and support of startup companies from NC State. Wade is the principal investigator and Managing Director for the National Science Foundations (NSF) I-Corps Site at NC State. Wade is the co-founder of the Wolfpack Investor Network (WIN) and serves as the Chair of the WIN Steering Committee. Prior to assuming the leadership role for the office Wade served as the Director of New Ventures over six years and has been responsible for the support of over 81 startup companies and has launched initiatives including the PackStart Program, the Executive In Residence (XIR) program, and partnership with the Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) Venture Mentor program. Wade serves on the North Carolina Small Business Technology Development Center (SBTDC) Advisory Board, the NC State Alumni Entrepreneurs Network Board, the Innovate Raleigh Task Force, and serves on the International Technology Transfer Network (ITTN) International Committee based in Beijing, China. Wade brings over seventeen years of experience advising companies with previous experience serving on the Technology Commercialization & Development Counselor for the North Carolina Small Business Technology Development Center (SBTDC). Prior positions include serving as the Assistant Director for the Economic Development Partnership for NC State University, where he co-founded the Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster (RTCC) in partnership with the Research Triangle Regional Partnership and Wake County Economic Development and was instrumental in facilitating the RTCC’s partnership with the International Cleantech Network (ICN) based in Copenhagen, Denmark. and as a business advisor for the Economic Development Administration’s University Center for NC State.
Wade has experience as a small business owner, as a startup consultant and in commercial finance and insurance with a Fortune 100 company. Wade received his Bachelors of Finance from the University of Florida as well as a Masters of Business Administration from Hawaii Pacific University focusing on Organizational Change Management and is a veteran of the US Army.
Kultaran Chohan, Ph.D., LL.M., CLP, Director of Licensing
As Director of Licensing, Kultaran leads ORC’s team of licensing professionals as they work to facilitate the commercialization of university inventions/discoveries. Kultaran’s experience includes managing innovation, strategizing intellectual property assets, licensing technologies, and supporting startup company formation. Kultaran personally manages a portfolio of technologies in the areas of biotechnology, ag-biotech, pharmaceuticals, drug delivery, human and animal health, research tools, food industry, and bio-manufacturing. He also serves as a reviewer/panelist with the Small Business Innovation Research and Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) grant programs at both the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
Kultaran earned a Ph.D. in Genetics from NC State University, a MS in biology from University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a LL.M. in Intellectual Property and Technology Law from Washington University in St. Louis, MO. He is a member of the New York Bar Association and is licensed as an attorney in New York. He is a Certified Licensing Professional and joined ORC in 2011.
Licensing
Brian Eller, J.D., Senior Licensing Associate
As a Senior Licensing Associate, Brian Eller is lead case manager for innovations from the College of Textiles, the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, the Nonwovens Institute and the College of Natural Resources. Prior to joining NC State Office of Research Commercialization in 2011, Brian worked as a technology transfer intern at University of California, Davis and as an extern at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, where he assisted with examination of patent applications in the field of semiconductors, electrical and optical systems/components. During law school, Brian spent a summer as a judicial extern for a Senior Judge with the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.
Brian earned a B.S. in Materials Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and a J.D. from University of California, Davis School of Law. During law school, he earned a Witkin Award for Academic Excellence for a course on Innovation and Technology Transfer. Brian is a member of the State Bar of California and is licensed as an attorney in California. He is also a member of AUTM.
Jason Lamb, J.D., L.L.M., Licensing Associate
As a Licensing Associate with a multidisciplinary background, Jason co-manages innovations from the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and manages commercialization efforts in software, databases, and data. He brings experience in business development, copyright, patent law, e-commerce, contract drafting, internet law, software due diligence, and early stage venture formation, funding, and governance. Prior to joining the NC State Office of ORC as a Licensing Associate in 2015, Jason worked with ORC for nearly a year and a half as an Intern and then as a Licensing Analyst.
Jason earned a B.S. in Computer Engineering from Drexel University in 2001, after which he gained nearly 10 years of industry experience in IT, software programming, and application development. He then earned his J.D. from Temple University Beasley School of Law in 2013, where he was named a Temple Law and Public Policy Scholar for his work in telecommunications law and policy. In 2014 he earned his Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Law and Entrepreneurship from Duke University School of Law. Jason is a member of the Bar of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and licensed as an attorney in Pennsylvania. He is also a registered patent attorney licensed to practice patent law before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Bradley Aycock, J.D., M.S., Licensing Associate
As a Licensing Associate, Bradley co-manages innovations from the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and manages technologies from the departments of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, and Physics.
Bradley earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, a B.S. in Computer Engineering, and an M.S. in Computer Engineering from North Carolina State University. Following three years of experience in the engineering industry, Bradley earned a J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to joining the ORC, Bradley spent several years as a patent attorney in private practice in the Raleigh-Durham area. Bradley is licensed as an attorney in North Carolina, and is a registered patent attorney admitted to practice patent law before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Gargi Mishra
, M.S. IPMM, MTech, Licensing Analyst
As a Licensing Analyst with an inter-disciplinary background, Gargi supports commercialization and management of innovations coming from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. She brings experience in electrical and computer science technologies, trademark, patent law, intellectual property management, new product development, and business development. Prior to joining ORC, Gargi was an IP Consultant for start-up companies and worked at Honeywell as Sr. Patent Analyst.
Gargi earned her Bachelor’s in Electronics & Communication Engineering and Master’s in Sensor System Technologies from the University in India as well as a Master’s in Intellectual Property Management and Markets from Chicago-Kent College of Law, IIT. Her interest includes patent & trademark law, and intellectual property strategy development.
Matthew Howe
, Ph.D., Licensing Analyst
As a Licensing Analyst, Matthew utilizes his expertise in the analysis of technologies in the Life Sciences portfolio.
Matthew earned a B.S. in Biological Sciences from NC State University and a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Duke University. Following his Ph.D. he was a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases. While at the NIH, he completed an internship in the NIAID Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Office. Subsequently, he was the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fellow at the UNC Eshelman Institute for Innovation at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy.
Ashley Stallings, J.D., Germplasm and Copyright Manager
As a Licensing Associate in the Office of Research Commercialization at NC State, Ashley manages the technology evaluation and commercialization of plant varieties and tangible research materials from the departments of Horticultural Science and Crop and Soil Sciences. Ashley has a strong intellectual property background and technical expertise in plant breeding and chemistry. Prior to joining the ORC licensing team in 2014, she worked as an intern in the office for over a year.
Ashley earned a B.S. in Chemistry at Appalachian State University and a J.D. from Campbell University’s Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law. While in law school, Ashley completed additional internships with SAS Institute, Inc. and the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office. Ashley was also a senior research assistant in the area of education law. She is a member of the North Carolina State Bar Association and is licensed as an attorney in North Carolina. Ashley is a member of AUTM.
Becky Till, PSM, Licensing Analyst
As a licensing analyst with a biomedical science and biotechnology background, Becky contributes to analysis, licensing, and commercialization of technologies in the life sciences portfolio.
Becky earned her B.S. in Biological Sciences, Professional Science Master’s in Microbial Biotechnology, and is currently completing her PhD dissertation in Comparative Biomedical Sciences (Immunology concentration) at NC State University.
Warren “Gerry” Sasser, Senior Agreements Manager
Gerry received his Bachelors of Business Administration from Memphis State University as well as a Masters of Business Administration from Campbell University. Prior to joining the ORC, Gerry worked as Director of Research Programs Services for the College of Textiles.
As the Senior Agreements Manager, he manages and negotiates all miscellaneous agreements for the office including Material Transfer Agreements, Confidentiality Agreements, Interinstitutional Agreements and Collaborative Research Agreements.
Finance and Operations
Roberta Terry, Senior Financial Manager
Roberta received her BA of Business Management from Warner Southern College. She has over 15 years experience in finance and compliance. Prior to joining the ORC, Roberta worked as a Fiscal Manager in the Contracts and Grants unit of NC State University where she handled State and Federal Contracts and Grants.
As the Senior Financial Manager, her current duties include royalty distribution as well as financial reporting compliance.
Melicia Ryles
, Financial Manager
Melicia received her AAS in Business Administration with a focus in Accounting from Hardbarger Junior College of Business. She brings over 15 years of extensive experience in finance and collections to the ORC. Prior to joining NC State University, Melicia was employed with Cigna HealthCare as the Delinquency Coordinator where she developed and implemented strategic collection procedures for the Research Triangle area.
As the Financial Manager for the ORC, her current duties include managing accounts receivable and collections within the University’s established policies.
Jodi Falk, Patent Administrator, CP
Jodi received her BS in Criminal Justice from Mount Scenario College, Wisconsin, and earned her Paralegal Certificate from North Carolina State University. Prior to joining the ORC, Jodi worked in several investigative areas for over 15 years, followed by over 8 years in law firms, primarily in intellectual property and litigation.
As the ORC’s Patent Administrator, she manages patent correspondence, works with inventors to complete patent documents, and tracks various aspects of the patent process using the KSS system.
Nicholas LeBlanc, Ph.D., Agreements & Data Integrity Specialist
Nicholas received his Ph.D. in Slavic Linguistics from UNC-Chapel Hill. Prior to joining the ORC Nicholas served as Registrar in the Department of Anthropology at UNC-Chapel Hill. He has experience in database management and development in educational, non-profit, and commercial settings.
Nicholas performs a number of quality control functions in the ORC’s Knowledge Sharing Database System (KSS). He assists with the processing of invention disclosures, agreements, and patent documentation to ensure the overall consistency and accuracy of KSS data.
Carmen Cargill
, Executive Assistant
As the Executive Assistant, Carmen provides daily administrative support and management for the Assistant Vice Chancellor, Kelly Sexton, Ph.D., and the ORC team. Prior to joining ORC, Carmen held a similar role supporting the Chief of Staff at the North Carolina Community College System office. She also has experience in project management and event planning having spent years working in the private sector at several software companies.
New Ventures
Amy Parker, Research Commercialization Program Manager
As Research Commercialization Program Manager, Amy supports and manages ORC’s Chancellor’s Innovation Fund (CIF) Program, National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps Site, and Executives-in-Residence (XIR) Program. Amy is also responsible for building and maintaining ORC’s collaborative relationships with ecosystem partners while also building and supporting NC State’s startup pipeline.
Amy earned a B.S. in Criminal Justice from East Carolina University.
Sasha Campbell, Digital Content & Communications Manager
As the Digital Content & Communications Manager, Sasha supports start-ups through brand set-up, trade-show material creation and website development. Sasha is also responsible for ORC brand management and web maintenance. She will be acting as in-house videographer and photographer for the various ORC projects and events.
Sasha earned a B.A. in Art Applications and a B.A. in International Studies from North Carolina State University. Following a year-long internship at the North Carolina Museum of Art she received her M.A. in Interactive Media from Elon University.
Physical Address
1021 Main Campus Drive,
Poulton Innovation Center, Second Floor, NC State Centennial Campus
Raleigh NC 27606
Directions
From I-40 coming east:
Take Gorman Street exit. Turn left onto Gorman. Turn right at second light onto Avent Ferry Road. Turn right at second light onto Varsity Drive.
From I-40 coming west:
Take Lake Wheeler Road Exit; turn right onto Lake Wheeler. Turn left at first light onto Centennial Parkway; follow to end. Turn left on Avent Ferry Rd. Turn left at first light onto Varsity Drive.
Inside the Raleigh Beltline:
Take Western Boulevard to Avent Ferry Road. Turn south (downhill). Turn left at the second light onto Varsity Drive.
Visitors
Parking options for guests are the pay lot at Partners Way (credit card in and out), and the pay-by-plate locations on the top level of the Poulton Parking Deck and in the Capability Drive lot ($3 per hour). For more information about Visitor Parking, please visit NC State Transportation.