Learn how OTC markets UK technology.

Speaker Bios:

Natasha Jones has been a licensing associate since 2011 and is responsible for licensing and market analysis for a diverse technology portfolio, including both physical and life sciences, especially agricultural and veterinary technologies. Before 2011, she was a commercialization specialist in the Von Allmen Center for Entrepreneurship (VACE), where she advised startup companies. Natasha wrote the Von Allmen Center’s winning grant application to the Economic Development Administration (EDA) to promote high-wage job creation through high-tech jobs in Kentucky, as well as a winning application for the EDA’s 2010 Innovation in Economic Development Award for Innovation in Commercialization. After majoring in biology at Centre College, Natasha earned a Master of Science in biology at the University of Virginia. Her thesis examined the role of a complete loss-of-function female sterility gene in Drosophila oogenesis. Before graduating from the University of Kentucky (UK) College of Law, Natasha researched the cell-to-cell spread of HSV-1 in UK’s College of Medicine. Natasha also earned a Master of Science in Library Science from UK with an emphasis on academic (law) librarianship.

Raja Krishnan is a commercialization manager for the Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC). His primary responsibilities include assessment, marketing and licensing of intellectual property focused on the life sciences area covering inventions from UK’s Colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine. previous commercialization experience includes working as an intellectual property manager at the Illinois Institute of Technology OTC. Previous to that Raja spent more than 15 years working in roles of increasing responsibility in product development for various pharmaceutical companies and led the development through the launch of multiple commercial products. During his time in the pharma industry, Raja was trained to be a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and gained a Regulatory and Quality Compliance Graduate Certification from Purdue University. In 2013 he achieved the RAPS Regulatory Affairs Certification (RAC). Raja has also consulted and advised several startup companies, including coaching teams through business plan competitions. He is a graduate of Steve Blank’s Lean Launchpad Program for Life Sciences and serves as a judge in the UK's Entrepreneurs Bootcamp. Raja received a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from Cornell University, a Master of Science in pharmaceutics from Long Island University, a Master of Science in Law from Northwestern University, and most recently a Master of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame.