Description
The Researcher Liaison Program Manager is responsible for leading meaningful and sustained engagement with the community of researchers at Notre Dame on behalf of the IDEA Center, with a primary portfolio in the Colleges of Science and the College of Engineering. Serving as the primary point of contact for faculty in chemistry, biology, and engineering disciplines, helping researchers identify patentable subject matter, understand commercialization pathways, and engage effectively with the University’s technology transfer process.
A key component of this position is the creation of trusted, ongoing relationships with faculty, postdocs, and graduate researchers, which manifests in (1) strong, positive relationships between the IDEA Center and the broader Notre Dame research community, and (2) invention disclosures that reflect the quality, breadth, and impact of research occurring at the University.
The Researcher Liaison Program Manager reports to the Researcher Liaison Manager and collaborates closely with other IDEA Center staff across IP, contracts, technology development, and business development functions to ensure a coordinated and high-quality researcher experience.
Supervise and mentor interns or analysts supporting the Researcher Liaison program, including directing projects related to commercialization readiness, market analysis, and follow-on diligence for invention disclosures.
In order to be successful, the Researcher Liaison Program Manager must be able to build trusted relationships and communicate effectively with a diverse group of faculty and researchers. This position will be regularly available to meet with research teams and engage on matters those teams find relevant and interesting, providing information and advice whenever possible. This effort will require one-on-one, one-to-many, and ad hoc meetings with a consistent presence in faculty department offices and research labs, centers, and institutes.
The Researcher Liaison Program Manager will also engage in project and portfolio management for specific technologies in order to identify and further develop research with potential to serve as the basis of invention disclosures and commercialization opportunities. The Researcher Liaison Program Manager must be business literate, understand critical intellectual property issues (including patentability considerations), and the core tenets of a business model; and apply this knowledge to the development of the research portfolio which they manage.
The Researcher Liaison Program Manager has a contextual appreciation for typical academic workflow and will work within that framework to identify when and how a project could be developed to impact the market.
The Researcher Liaison Program Manager can independently identify emerging trends, can clearly communicate those trends, and can connect those ideas to efforts across campus. It is critical that the Researcher Liaison Program Manager is capable of understanding and translating a broad range of technically complex, deep-tech research into relevant commercial opportunities and can pick the fundamental, novel technology out of project reports and invention disclosures.
This role requires a significant (3+ days/week) on-campus presence.
Notre Dame Research is continuing to grow! Please find other opportunities at https://research.nd.edu/about/job-opportunities/
Requirements
- Relationship Management Activities (45%)
Primary relationship manager for assigned researchers in the Colleges of Science and Engineering, including faculty in chemistry, biology, aerospace and mechanical engineering, and chemical and biological engineering. Be seen as the go-to person for assigned researchers to contact for information about their disclosures.
Serve as a trusted advisor to faculty on what constitutes patentable subject matter, including early-stage assessment of novelty, inventorship, and potential statutory issues (e.g., 35 U.S.C. §§ 101, 102, 103), in collaboration with the IP team.
Provide training and guidance to assigned researchers on IP policies, disclosure requirements, and best practices related to patenting, commercialization, and industry engagement.
Raise awareness about the IDEA Center’s services and encourage research disclosures by proactively engaging with assigned faculty and research groups to foster IP development and disclosure.
Become recognized as the “go-to” expert on the team for assigned scientific and engineering domainsissues and processes. - Disclosure Management Activities (50%)
Disclosure Harvesting Activities
Serve as the project manager with respect to disclosures from assigned faculty members. Shepherd people and disclosures through the evaluation, protection, and commercialization process in an organized, efficient, and timely manner.
Assist assigned researchers in disclosing inventions by educating them about what an invention is and is not, ensuring all required information is provided, and supporting efficient submission of complete, high-quality invention disclosures.
Disclosure Assessment & Disposition Activities
Assess disclosures by effectively evaluating: prospective customer needs, competitive landscape, market size, technology maturity, legal protectability (in cooperation with IP), regulatory landscape, and market potential for disclosed technologies to promote cost-effective and prudent University investment toward commercialization.
Proactively identify research outputs with commercialization potential through regular engagement with faculty, labs, and research groups.
Using this initial assessment and after consultation with respective team members, decide whether a technology will be forwarded to the Technology Development team; the Business Development team; or closed or given back to the inventor.
In consultation with the IP team, ensure that IP rights are obtained and maintained as appropriate.
Hand off the performance of the filings to the IP team, but retain responsibility for their completion.
Ensure timely delivery of the results of these assessments to the researcher. Ensure that the researcher understands why decisions were made, and in a way that encourages future engagement with the IDEA Center team.
Identify situations in which additional contracts/agreements are required for a disclosure that will move forward: IIA, MTA, NDA, etc. Ensure that the appropriate personnel are engaged to support the preparation, negotiation, and execution while maintaining responsibility for the coordination of these efforts and ensuring a timely completion of these agreements.
Hand off the creation, negotiation, and execution of those contracts to the IP & Contracts team but retain responsibility for their coordination and completion. - Recordkeeping (5%)
Ensuring the accuracy of Inteum as the trusted and up-to-date system of record and subsidiary ledger for disclosures, IP status, project status, investment positions, and licensing status for all portfolio technologies.