Staff

We invite you to get to know our staff and the work that we do to help facilitate collaborations with industry, and build new startups.

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Executive

Amir

Amir Naiberg

Associate Vice Chancellor and CEO & President, UCLA Technology Development Group

Amir Naiberg serves as Associate Vice Chancellor, and President & CEO of UCLA Technology Development Corporation. He leads the UCLA Technology Development Group, a campus wide resource that serves as a Gateway to Innovation, Research and Entrepreneurship at UCLA. Additionally, he leads the UCLA Technology Development Corporation as Chief Executive Officer and President, a non-profit technology company wholly-owned by UCLA focused on better protecting and optimizing the discoveries and inventions developed through UCLA research. Mr. Naiberg also works in concert with several on campus incubators and accelerators to further advance innovation, entrepreneurship and research at UCLA.

Prior to joining UCLA in August 2016, Mr. Naiberg worked at Yeda Research and Development Co, Ltd., In Rehovot, Israel, the technology transfer company of the Weizmann Institute of Science, ranked as one of the top three technology transfer organizations in the world. At Yeda, he served for ten years as CEO, following five years as General Counsel. He led the organization’s growth in licensing and business partnerships, while building an entrepreneurial ecosystem with local incubators, investors, and the Israeli government. Mr. Naiberg is one of the founders of the Israel Technology Transfer Organization (ITTN), a non-profit organization that unites various technology transfer offices throughout Israel. Before joining Yeda, he worked for a private law firm specializing in intellectual property, privacy and cyberspace law. Mr. Naiberg holds law degrees from the Hebrew University School of Law and the University of Connecticut School of Law.

Business Development and Technology Transfer

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Dina Lozofsky MBA

Senior Director of Business Development, Physical Sciences and Engineering & MedTech

Dina Lozofsky serves as the Senior Director of Business Development, Physical Sciences and Engineering.  Dina joined UCLA TDG in August 2019, bringing more than 25 years’ experience working in and around science and technology in Southern California. Most recently, Dina was the Executive Director at Biocom, leading Biocom’s efforts to help grow and support the LA life science industry, raising awareness around the regional cluster’s many research accomplishments. Before joining Biocom, Dina was the Associate Director for Licensing and Business Development at UC Santa Barbara’s Office of Technology and Industry Alliances, where she managed a program to mentor and support startup companies formed around UCSB technology. 

Dina has deep experience in intellectual property (IP) management and in leveraging IP to structure strategic alliances for both companies and universities, facilitating university collaboration with industry and fostering startup formation and licensing. She was also Vice President, Corporate Development for Solarmer Energy, a next generation solar startup spun out of UCLA, leading the company’s efforts in strategic relationships, business development, intellectual property, legal affairs, and marketing and worked with BTG International as Associate Vice President in their acquisitions group. 

Dina holds a BS in Aerospace Engineering from MIT, an MBA from USC’s Marshall School of Business and is a registered Patent Agent. 

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Mark A. Wisniewski MS, MBA

Senior Director, Bio Pharmaceuticals

Mark Wisniewski is the Senior Director of Biopharmaceuticals.  He is responsible for the life science and biopharma intellectual property developed at UCLA, including managing licensing and marketing staff, financial management of the portfolio and outreach to inventors and industry.  His career spanned multiple roles in biotech management, entrepreneurship and product commercialization in both start-up to Fortune 100 companies.  Prior to his role at UCLA TDG, Mark was the Head of Special Projects at Prolacta Bioscience, a producer of human milk nutritional products for premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit, leading the strategic planning and business development functions. He was also a Principal Advisor to the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute’s Commercialization Accelerator Programs which provides business strategy, product commercialization, fund raising and strategic partnership guidance to hundreds of early stage biotech and life science companies. Mark began his career at Baxter Healthcare where he held positions in business development, strategic planning, marketing and R&D.  Mark received his MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and his Masters of Immunology and Microbiology at the UCLA School of Medicine.

Dan-Oscar Antson

Dan-Oscar Antson, PhD

Business Development Officer - Life Sciences Team

Dan-Oscar Antson joined UCLA TDG in April 2023. In his role as Business Development Officer, Dan is involved in the patenting, marketing, and licensing of UCLA’s Life Science Technology portfolio, especially focusing on dentistry, oncology, and gene therapy. Prior to joining UCLA, Dan was a Technology Licensing Officer for eight years at Cornell University, managing a diverse IP portfolio of small molecules and biologics assets, mainly in the cancer and infectious disease space. Before that, Dan’s first foray into technology transfer was at Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, where he worked as an Intellectual Property Manager for ten years, managing a large immuno-oncology patent portfolio. Dan earned a Ph.D. in Medical Genetics, as well as a Master of Science in Chemistry from Uppsala University in Sweden.

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Tariq Arif, J.D., MBA, MSc.

Business Development Officer - Immuno-Oncology, Immunology, Regenerative Medicine, Ophthalmology

In his role as Business Development Officer, Tariq is currently involved in the marketing, patenting, and licensing of UCLA’s Life Science Technology portfolio, spanning immuno-oncology, immunology, and regenerative medicine. Tariq is currently managing UCLA’s alliance with the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI).

Tariq joined UCLA TDG in July 2016 and was responsible for the Medical Device portfolio. He left TDG in 2018 to become the Director of Alliance Management for Atara Biotherapeutics, an allogeneic T-cell immunotherapy company.  Prior to his time in TDG, he served as Interim CSO for a Houston-based healthcare startup, and as Associate Director at the Center for Innovation at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Tariq brings 15 years of technology transfer experience, having handled licensing and technology transfer at Partners HealthCare Innovation in Boston, the NIH-National Cancer Institute in Maryland, and the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. 

Tariq received his M.B.A from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, his J.D./L.L.M. from University of New Hampshire – Pierce Law, and his Master’s of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Georgetown University. Tariq is a registered Patent Attorney with the USPTO.

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Ed Beres, PE

Senior Business Development Officer - - Engineering/Physical Sciences/MedTech Team

Ed Beres joined UCLA TDG in November 2017 and brings a background in both industry and university technology commercialization to UCLA. He came to UCLA from the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), where he identified promising start-up companies for the incubator’s portfolio, coached start-up founders, and developed entrepreneurship training programs. Before that, he was with USC for 13 years, working to move USC research into commercial use.His experience also includes a role as market strategy manager for HBT, a start-up company in the hydrogen fuel cell industry, and a position with Southern California Edison, where he helped identify and evaluate new business opportunities for the electric utility during California’s transition from its traditional regulatory structure. His early career included engineering positions in Boeing’s commercial airplane division, and an engineering consulting firm now known as Exponent Inc., that specializes in failure analysis. Ed received a BS from the University of Nevada, Reno, and an MS from Stanford University, both in mechanical engineering.

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Joel Kehle

Business Development Officer - Software/Copyright/Physical Science, Engineering & MedTech Team

Joel Kehle joined UCLA TDG in August 2017. In his role as Technology Transfer Officer, Joel manages a portfolio of database, algorithm, artificial intelligence, bioinformatics, and other types of computer science technologies. He has over 20 years of industry experience in information technology and software development. Joel spent over 10 years at Qualcomm focused on cloud computing, enterprise architecture, infrastructure automation, and middleware software. Additionally, he served as Vice President, Technology for multiple startup companies incubated at Idealab in Los Angeles. Joel earned his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Megha Patel - Business Development Officer

Megha Patel, JD, PhD

Senior Business Development Officer - - Engineering/Physical Sciences/MedTech Team

Megha joined UCLA TDG in December 2018 and manages a Medtech portfolio. She was previously a Senior Licensing Officer at UC Irvine after which she joined the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as an Attorney and Assistant General Counsel for Global Health. She was then Assistant VP for Research and Economic Development at Cal State University. Megha has a B.S. in Biological Sciences from UC Irvine, a Ph.D. in Physiological Sciences and Genetics from UCLA, and a J.D. from Maurer School of Law, Indiana University.

Thibault Renac

Thibault Renac

Business Development Officer - Life Sciences Team

Thibault joined UCLA TDG in August 2023. In his role as Business Development Officer, he is involved in the patenting, marketing, and licensing of UCLA’s Life Science Technology portfolio, focusing on Infectious diseases.

Thibault previously worked for the French Trade Agency in Boston, Business France. He was responsible for business development operations for French biotech startups, and for co-organizing the prestigious Prix Galien USA - an award regarded by many as equivalent to the Nobel Prize in BioPharmaceutical research. 

Thibault has been involved in the selection process of several acceleration programs for life science startups including MassBio Drive, the acceleration program of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, and NETVA (New Technology Venture Accelerator), an acceleration program leaded by the French Embassy in the United States.

Before moving overseas, he worked as a Senior Consultant in Innovation Strategy for Alcimed in Paris, France.

Thibault graduated from Chimie ParisTech – PSL University in Paris, France in 2019.

Nick Traitler

Nick Traitler, MSc, PhD

Business Development Officer - - Engineering/Physical Sciences/MedTech Team

Nick Traitler joined UCLA TDG in March 2022, bringing a background in intellectual property management, business consulting, and technology commercialization to his role. Nick manages a portfolio of electrical engineering and computer science technologies. Prior to joining UCLA, Nick was a Senior Licensing Associate at USC. Nick has extensive experience in business development from his work as a consultant to startups and established companies, with a focus in intellectual property protection, licensing, and strategic partnerships.He also previously worked as a patent engineer for an intellectual property law firm performing patent analysis, drafting, and prosecution. He served as a technical advisor for one of the nation’s leading law firms, Perkins Coie LLP, with an emphasis in electrical, computer, communications, consumer electronics, and energy-related technologies. Nick earned a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Cambridge, as well as a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science in Physics from the University of York. He is a Certified Licensing Professional.

 

 

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Earl Weinstein, PhD

Associate Director of Business Development - Cardiovascular; Metabolism; Imaging; GI; Respiratory

Earl Weinstein joined UCLA TDG in 2005 and is currently Associate Director of Licensing. In this role he works closely with faculty, staff and students to evaluate, protect and commercialize University inventions, and assists with the formation of UCLA startups. Prior to joining UCLA, Earl was with PureTech Ventures, a seed stage venture capital firm in Boston. Earl completed a Ph.D. at MIT working on computational and experimental analysis gene regulatory networks and his undergraduate degree at the University of Pennsylvania.

Brija Johnson

Brija Johnson

Program Manager, UCLA Ventures

Brija Johnson is the Program Director for UCLA Ventures. She joined UCLA TDG in April 2021 as the Technology Scouting Manager for the SCALE initiative. In her role, she works closely with the Starburst accelerator to recruit and support startups in the aerospace sector. Prior to joining TDG, Brija worked as a Program Manager for Springboard Enterprises and was a Scholar in Residence at Zane Venture Fund.  Brija holds a BS in International Business and a BS in Marketing with a minor in Technology Entrepreneurship from the Robert H. Smith School of Business.

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David Riccardo

Business Development Associate -- Engineering/Physical Sciences/MedTech Team/Software/Copyright

David Riccardo serves as the Business Development Associate, Engineering and Physical Sciences. David joined UCLA TDG in August 2021, bringing four years of industry-side business development experience in technology transfer, contract management and financial negotiation. Prior to TDG, David spent three years as a Licensing Associate at BioLegend, Inc. in San Diego. Prior to BioLegend, David worked at Tioga Research, a contract research organization focused on skin-applied formulations and transdermal drug delivery, and volunteered at IXL Center, a management consulting firm. David holds a B.S. in Human Biology and a Minor in Business from the University of California, San Diego.

PJ Ward

Peijean (PJ) Ward, MBA

Business Development Associate - Life Sciences

Peijean (PJ) Ward serves as the Business Development Associate, Life Sciences. PJ joined UCLA TDG in October 2022. She brings more than 13 years of technology transfer experience in the world of academia across Business Development and Marketing functions.

PJ previously worked at the technology transfer offices at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles, CA and Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in La Jolla, CA.

PJ holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the USC Marshall School of Business with specializations in Marketing and Business Analytics. She earned a B.A. in Economics and English from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Industry Sponsored Research and Material Transfer

Karla Zepeda

Karla Zepeda, MS

Director, Industry Research and Material Transfer - Medicine: Basic Science, Clinical Departments, Surgery

Karla Zepeda joined UCLA TDG in 2008. As the Director of Industry Sponsored Research and Material Transfer, Karla works closely with faculty seeking to obtain funding from industry and non-profit sources. Prior to UCLA, Karla worked at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas as a Contract Specialist within the Office of Technology drafting, negotiating, and executing industry sponsored research agreements and material transfer agreements. Karla received her B.S. in Biology and Chemistry from California State University, Chico and her M.S. in Biotechnology from UT Texas.

Elina Kreditor

Elina Kreditor JD, MD

Associate Director of Industry Research & Material Transfer

Elina Kreditor joined UCLA TDG in 2023 as the Associate Director of Industry Sponsored Research and Material Transfer. Elina's responsibilities include working with faculty and industry counterparts in negotiating and executing industry research funding contracts and material transfer agreements. Prior to joining UCLA TDG, Elina worked as the Associate Director of Industry Contracting at NYU School of Medicine and a Clinical Trial Contract Coordinator at the Cleveland Clinic. She also worked for several years as a litigation associate at Morrison & Foerster and Miller Barondess in Los Angeles.  She holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law and an M.D. from the Frank H. Netter M.D. School of Medicine. 

Sherrie Dennehy

Sherrie Dennehy MBA, MSL

Industry Sponsored Research and Material Transfer, Officer

Sherrie Dennehy joined UCLA in 2022. As an Industry Sponsored Research and Material Transfer Officer, Sherrie works closely with faculty and industry counterparts to secure industry research funding contracts and material transfer agreements. Prior to UCLA, Sherrie spent seven years at the University of Southern California as the Principal Contract and Grant Officer managing the team responsible for all out-going research subcontracts. Sherrie has also worked at UC Irvine and the University of Central Florida and has over 13 years of experience managing research contracts and grants. Sherrie has a Masters in the Study of Law from the USC Gould School of Law, an M.B.A. from the University of Central Florida, and a B.A. in Business Economics from UC Santa Barbara

Tiffany Morgan

Tiffany Morgan, MPA

Industry Sponsored Research and Material Transfer, Officer

Tiffany joined TDG in 2022. As an Industry Sponsored Research and Material Transfer Officer, Tiffany collaborates with faculty and industry counterparts to negotiate and execute industry research funding agreements as well as material transfer agreements. Prior to joining UCLA, Tiffany was a Sr. Grant & Contract Officer at Cedars-Sinai Health System, a Sponsored Programs Manager at St. Catherine University, and a Research Grant Consultant at Indiana University   Tiffany holds a B.A. in Criminology from The Ohio State University, and an M.P.A. from Kent State University.

 

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Mimi Ojukwu, LLB, BL

Industry Sponsored Research and Material Transfer, Officer

Mimi Ojukwu joined UCLA in 2023. As an Industry Sponsored Research and Material Transfer Officer, Mimi works closely with faculty and industry counterparts to negotiate and execute industry research funding agreements as well as material transfer agreements. Prior to joining UCLA, Mimi worked at United Healthcare, DaVita Healthcare Partners, Abbot Medical Optics and most recently, Masimo Corporation.  Mimi holds an L.L.B. from the University of Buckingham, UK and a B.L. from Victoria Island, Nigeria.  

 

The TDG complete list of Department Assignments may be viewed here.

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Kathleen Wrobel

Industry Research and Material Transfer Officer - Dentistry; Education; Life Sciences; Clinical Departments; Neurology, Opthamology, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

Kathleen Wrobel joined UCLA in 1990 and TDG in 1997 as material transfer administrator. She currently is an MTA and Industry Contract Officer handling both MTAs and industry sponsored research agreements for various campus departments. Kathleen holds a BA from SUNY Buffalo and an MA and C.Phil. from UCLA.

Please see our list of Department Assignments for complete list of areas 

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Ruzanna Abovyan, J.D

Industry Sponsored Research and Material Transfer, Associate

Ruzanna joined UCLA TDG in 2021. As an Industry Research and Material Transfer Associate, Ruzanna assists TDG’s ISR Team with drafting, negotiating, and executing material transfer and research agreements. Prior to her role at UCLA, Ruzanna worked in Worker’s Compensation and Real Estate law.  Ruzanna received her law degree in 2016 from Southwestern Law School and her B.A. in Sociology from California State University, Northridge.

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Jeff Genota

Industry Sponsored Research and Material Transfer, Associate

Jeff joined TDG as an associate with the Industry Sponsored Research and Materials Transfer in 2021. Originally from the Los Angeles area, Jeff was previously in Washington, DC at Georgetown University’s Office of Technology Commercialization as an analyst and coordinator facilitating intellectual property contract intake, review, and compliance and supporting technology licensing and marketing efforts. Outside of Georgetown, Jeff has worked with startups, consultancies, and companies interested in scaling innovative technologies and initiatives. Jeff received his B.A. from James Madison University and holds graduate degrees from Georgetown University.

Harry Morall

Harry Morall

Industry Sponsored Research and Material Transfer, Associate

Harry joined TDG as an associate with the Industry Sponsored Research and Materials Transfer in 2021. Originally from Orlando Florida and a Los Angeles resident since 2019, Harry has a decade of paralegal experience in a wide variety of areas specializing in domestic, civil, probate, and criminal law. Additionally Harry was a contributing writer for multiple local news outlets in the central Florida area. Harry received his B.A. from the University of Central Florida in 2011.

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Karla Bernal

Industry Research and Material Transfer Coordinator

Karla joined UCLA TDG in July 2013 as an ISR-MTA Coordinator. Currently in her role as an ISR-MTA Coordinator she reviews and processes MTA agreements as well as ISR proposals and intake matters. Karla provides support to all ISR staff and reviews applicable information to complete Conflict of Interest Cases. She previously worked in the Office of Research Data Management (ORDM). She started at UCLA as an Administrative Assistant in the office of Extramural Fund Management (EFM) in 2000, where she gained experience with reviewing awards and assigning fund numbers. In 2006 she was promoted to an Administrative Analyst role in ORDM. She has experience with the UCLA Financial System and PATS. She has been in charge of processing awards, adding new sponsors and requesting sponsor codes via UCOP-REMS. Karla is a departmental resource between ORDM and EFM with ISR matters.

New Ventures

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Thomas Lipkin, PhD

Director, UCLA Innovation Fund and New Ventures

Thomas (Tom) Lipkin joined UCLA TDG in 2012 and serves as the Director of the UCLA Innovation Fund and New Ventures. Tom and his New Ventures team work to further translational research at UCLA by helping identify, fund, and actively manage promising academic projects to meet key industry-specific milestones through an internal philanthropic proof-of-concept fund called the UCLA Innovation Fund. New Ventures also supports the entrepreneurial environment at UCLA by helping build startup companies around UCLA's intellectual property, serving as a resource to faculty members, aiding existing UCLA startups in sourcing financing and talent, and helping secure additional funding for campus-wide initiatives. Previously, Tom was with Osage University Partners, a venture capital fund that invests exclusively in university-based startup companies. Tom received his B.S. in Biology from Indiana University and his Ph.D. in Cell Biology and Pathology from Columbia University.

Matthew Savary, MD

Matthew Savary, M.D.

Innovation Fund & New Ventures Principal - Medtech

Matthew Savary joined the UCLA TDG in 2019 and serves as Principal of New Ventures and the UCLA Innovation Fund. Dr. Savary manages the MedTech vertical of the UCLA Innovation Fund, and is responsible for evaluating early-stage medical device technologies, working closely with UCLA inventors and external advisors to de-risk promising assets, and attracting industry partners, entrepreneurs, and investors to continue development through a license to an established or newly created company. Matthew joined the TDG from Medtronic in Boulder, CO, where he was Director of Medical Affairs for four years.  Prior to that he was a Surgical Resident at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.   Matthew has a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from the Steven Institute of Technology, and a Doctor of Medicine degree from Tufts University School of Medicine.

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Sofia Ramos

Startup Support Associate

Sofia Ramos joined UCLA TDG in September 2021 as Startup Support Associate of UCLA New Ventures. In her role, she works closely with university startups, providing continued support through the UCLA Startup in a Box (SIAB) program, connecting all UCLA-related startups to service providers including corporate law firms, banks, human resources, and tax and accounting services. Prior to joining TDG, Sofia was an analyst at an impact fund dedicated to investing and uplifting minority entrepreneurs and is an active member of UCLA Anderson’s School of Management Riordan Programs. Sofia holds a B.A. in Political Science, and a minor in IMS from the University of California, Los Angeles and the Paris Institute of Political Studies.

New Ventures Fellows

Contracts Management

Natasha Radovsky

Natasha Radovsky

Senior Director of Contracts

Natasha Radovsky is an accomplished legal executive with extensive experience in intellectual property (IP), corporate contracting, software, and mergers and acquisitions (M&A). She has a passion for working on disruptive technological innovations that require creative and proactive legal guidance.

Prior to joining UCLA Technology Development Group as a Sr. Director of Contracts, Natasha worked as a Sr. Legal Counsel in the Legal Department at Pegasystems in Cambridge, MA, where she led, drafted, negotiated, and executed complex commercial transactions. Her expertise included software licenses (SaaS), master services agreements, joint development, data privacy, intellectual property, and cloud service agreements. Natasha collaborated closely with engineering, operations, development, and sales teams to provide legal support on software and technology development, IP licenses, resale and sourcing strategy, and supplier relationships.

Before joining Pegasystems, Natasha worked in the Office of The General Counsel at Boeing Global Services. During her tenure, she advised and collaborated with internal teams across multiple functions, including engineering, IT, sales and business development, supply chain, corporate strategy, and professional services. Natasha excelled in leading, drafting, negotiating, and executing complex technology commercial transactions, covering a wide range of areas such as new product development and sale, cloud computing, technology and software licenses, IoT, SaaS, AI, vendor and supplier agreements, distribution agreements, joint development agreements, sponsorship agreements, collaboration agreements, consulting agreements, and M&A agreements. Her contributions played a vital role in driving business growth and promoting innovation within the organization. Natasha also provided strategic advice on IP ownership, protection, and leverage, and she successfully led the drafting and execution of IP licenses, sales, and acquisitions aligned with the company's strategic objectives.

In addition, Natasha served as the Director of Global Intellectual Property Licensing at Boeing. During this period, she launched the Global Technology Licensing organization, generating substantial annual revenues by commercializing intellectual property, software, technology, and copyright in new markets. Natasha's responsibilities included drafting, negotiating, and executing patent, technology, and software licenses with leading global companies. She also managed a variety of joint development and collaboration agreements, formed alliances, and negotiated M&A transactions.

Natasha's experience extends to her role as Sr. Contracts Manager in Business Development & Sales at Cisco Systems/Linksys. In this position, she demonstrated her expertise in leading the drafting and negotiation of technology license transactions with key accounts, including Time Warner, Bell Canada, Verizon, and Gateway Computers. Natasha's contributions were instrumental in securing favorable agreements and driving business success.

Natasha's experience in the academic sector includes her roles as Sr. Technology Licensing Officer at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and as a Technology Licensing Officer at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). During her tenure at UCLA, she was responsible for the commercialization of Physical Sciences/Engineering and Life Sciences Intellectual Property.

Natasha holds a JD and she is a licensed attorney with the California State Bar. Additionally, she earned an MBA from the University of California, Irvine. Natasha's educational background includes an MS in Physics and Engineering as well as a BS in Mathematics and Computer Sciences from Ukrainian State University in Kiev, Ukraine.

Shushanik Basmajyan

Shushanik Basmajyan

Contracts Manager

Shushanik Basmajyan joined UCLA TDG in November 2022 as a Contracts Manager for Integrated Sciences.  She previously worked as Contracts Analyst at UCLA Capital Programs Department. She also worked as a Program Assistant at Pasadena Unified School District. Graduated from UCLA in 2019 with the major in Sociology.  

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Noreen Weinberg

Contracts Manager, Post Execution

Noreen comes to us from business management firm NKSFB, where she has been a billing and finance specialist for the past two years . Prior to that, she worked for eleven years KCET Community Television of Southern California, where she was the Director of Education and Children’s Programming.  She holds a B.S. in Economics and Communication Studies from Northwestern University, an M.Sc. In Global Media and Communication from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and an M.A. in Global Communications from USC.

Patent Prosecution

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Charanjit Arora, J.D., PhD

Chief Intellectual Property Officer

Charan joined UCLA TDG in December 2013. Prior to UCLA, he was a patent attorney at a New York City law firm where he drafted and prosecuted patent applications. He holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Cornell University, a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School, and a B.S. in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from UCLA.

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Shemekia Brown

Patent Prosecution Analyst

Shemekia Brown joined UCLA TDG in June of 2014 as a Patent Prosecution Analyst. She brings over 12 years experience in intellectual property prosecution. Prior to UCLA, she worked for Kilpatrick Townsend as a Patent Prosecution Specialist for 10 years. Shemekia holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from San Jose State.

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Lily Yu

Patent Prosecution Analyst

Lily Yu joined UCLA’s Technology Development Group in March of 2015 as a Patent Prosecution Analyst.   She provides patent support to the business development officers, inventors, and licensees by managing their extensive patent portfolios.   In addition, she handles all of the annuities for UCLA.  She began her intellectual patent career in 2011 at Ladas & Parry.   Prior to working in the patent field, she worked in education and nonprofit.   She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Bachelor of Arts in Asian American Studies from UCLA.

Stella Huang

Stella Huang

Patent Prosecution & Compliance Assistant

Stella joined UCLA TDG in July 2023. She is currently a third-year undergraduate majoring in Computational & Systems Biology and prospectively minoring in Statistics at UCLA. In her role as Patent Prosecution & Compliance Assistant, Stella acts as an intermediary between UCLA and patent attorneys, assisting with invention disclosure, patent application, and federal funding matters. She is also a research assistant at the Yang Engineering Immunity Lab, where she applies computational techniques to aid the development of cancer immunotherapies, and a learning intern for the undergraduate Statistics 20 course at UCLA. Stella is expected to graduate in 2025 and is interested in pursuing a career in patent law. 

Operations

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Tim Grauerholz, MBA

Chief Financial Officer & Chief Operations Officer

Tim Grauerholz joined UCLA TDG in 2013. In his role as the Chief Financial Officer & Chief Operations Officer, Tim is responsible for the overall financial performance of TDG’s portfolio, including the royalty and patent distribution, revenue allocation to campus units, creating and managing the annual budget, oversight of all operational and patent prosecution expenses & forecasts, and establishing the appropriate accounting and financial reporting policies and procedures for the group. Tim also oversees the Patent Prosecution team, the Marketing team, and all capital and IT needs for TDG. As Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer for UCLA Technology Development Corporation, Tim is responsible for reporting all operational and patent related financials to the Board of Directors. He also serves on the Finance Committee, the Monetization Committee, and others as requested. He brings over 15 years of financial experience and leadership having previously worked in the Aerospace/Defense industry in various expanding roles at TRW, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon. Tim holds an M.B.A. from USC and a B.S. from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in Finance and Economics.

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Laura Van Nostrand

Director of Human Resources

As the Director of Human Resources, Laura is responsible for leading employee relations, training and development strategies, recruitment, performance management, compensation, payroll, and benefits for UCLA TDG. Laura joined TDG in 2013, and prior to that she worked in several roles over thirteen years in the Office of the Chancellor at the University of California, Berkeley. Her most recent role was as the Director of Human Resources & Operations for the Vice Chancellor of Administration & Finance. Laura holds a B.A. in English from the University of California, Berkeley.

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Kristen Robertson, MBA

Finance Manager

Kristen Robertson joined UCLA TDG in 2015. As senior financial analyst, Kristen works closely with the CFO to monitor the overall finances of OIP-ISR’s portfolio, including royalty and patent distribution, campus revenue allocations, the annual budget, and operational expenses and forecasts. Kristen graduated with a degree in Economics in 2009 from Pepperdine University and has spent her career thus far focusing on financial management, process improvement, and data analysis. She has held various high-level roles in the Aerospace/Defense and the commercial sectors, primarily in the areas of finance and strategy.

Jessica Kimbrough

Jessica Kimbrough

Human Resources & Operations Analyst

As the Operations & Human Resources Analyst, Jessica is responsible for human resources and payroll processing, travel and entertainment reimbursements, purchasing, building operations, and other operational duties. She has a B.S. in Business Administration with a Human Resources concentration from UC Riverside.  Jessica brings with her 4 years of UCLA experience from her time serving as the Administrative Manager at UCLA Anderson Parker Career Management Center and as an Administrative Specialist at UCLA Facilities Management. Prior to UCLA, she worked for 4 years as the Field Human Resources Assistant for Panda Restaurant Group. 

Jude Anchang

Jude Anchang

Operational Support and Marketing Specialist

Jude Anchang joined UCLA TDG in December 2016 as a temp-to-hire. As the Operations and Marketing Specialist, he is responsible for managing TDG communications from maintaining the TDG website to fielding inquires related to TDG's chief divisions of Licensing, Industry Sponsored Research and Marketing. Jude spent seven years as a Production Coordinator in Feature Production at 20th Century Fox Studios (now Disney Studios). He is an alumnus of the Juilliard School Drama program and as hobby loves to write and produce theatre and film.  

Marketing

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Marivi Valcourt, MBA

Assistant Director, Marketing & Communications

Marivi Valcourt joined TDG in 2019. She is responsible for brand marketing, PR, professional events, webinars, social media, content and analytics for the organization. Marivi has spent the majority of her 30 year career as a marketing professional in the music industry and the performing arts. She has held positions at MCA/Universal Records, Capitol Records, UCLA’s Royce Hall and most recently LA Opera. Marivi is excited to bring her creative energy and marketing knowledge to UCLA's tech transfer office. She holds a Bachelor of Music/Music Business from New York University and an MBA from Loyola Marymount University.

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Carol Lopez

LABEST Strategic Alliances and Program Officer

Carol Lopez joined UCLA TDG in 2018. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Commerce, Finance degree from Santa Clara University and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management. She brings with her over 6 years of finance experience, over 9 years of operations experience, and over 12 years of development/relationship management/outreach experience in varying sectors, including higher education, healthcare, and non-profit.

TDG Technology Fellows

Clara Cano

Clara Cano

Business Development Fellow - Life Sciences

Clara joined TDG in the fall of 2021 as a Technology Fellow. She is currently a PhD candidate in the Molecular Biology Interdepartmental Program. Her thesis work in Dr. Kathrin Plath’s lab seeks to understand how RNA binding proteins shape gene expression and nuclear structure. She is expected to complete her PhD in 2024 and pursue a career in Regulatory Affairs.

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Ramzi Massad

Business Development Fellow - Physical Sciences
Abril Morales

Abril Morales

Business Development Fellow - Life Sciences

Abril Morales is a 4th year PhD candidate in the molecular biology interdepartmental program. Her thesis work in Dr. William Lowry’s lab seeks to understand the mitochondrial and metabolomic disturbances of monogenic intellectual disability disorders using stem cell- derived models.  Prior to this, her other research experiences include investigating cell cycle regulated proteins using biochemical methods and antibiotic drug discovery from plant microbiomes. As a TDG New Ventures Fellow, she works closely with faculty to develop and enhance their pitch of novel therapeutics

Katie White

Katie White

Business Development Fellow - Physical Sciences

Katie was appointed as a Technology Fellow in Physical Sciences at TDG in January 2023. She holds a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Florida where she graduated summa cum laude and conducted synthetic organic chemistry research under the supervision of Alexander Grenning. Currently she is a Ph.D. candidate in Materials Chemistry at UCLA working under the guidance of Paul Weiss. 

In her graduate studies, Katie utilizes microscopy at the California NanoSystems Institute to explore the fundamentals of new materials and organoid development. In her role as a TDG fellow, she is responsible for creating market materials for UCLA-developed technologes. Upon completion of her Ph.D. in the summer of 2025, Katie plans to pursue a career in technology transfer and patent law.