Speaker Bios

Dr. Abigail Barrow, Director of Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center Dr. Abigail Barrow is the Founding Director of the Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center (MTTC). She is responsible for the overall management of the MTTC and the development of its programs. Prior to joining the MTTC, Dr. Barrow served as managing director of William J. von Liebig Center at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). The von Liebig Center was created in 2001 to support the commercialization of research being performed in the UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering. She has also served as a member of the board of directors of the Center for the Commercialization of Advanced Technologies Consortium (CCAT), which assisted in the identification and commercialization of technologies in the area of crisis and consequence management and received more than $25 million in federal funding from the Office of Naval Research. Dr. Barrow worked in a variety of roles at UCSD CONNECT from 1990 to 2001. At CONNECT, she developed and expanded many of its programs to support early-stage company formation and technology commercialization. The CONNECT program is now internationally recognized and has been successfully replicated in other regions of North America and in Europe. Dr. Barrow is on the board and is Chair of the Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment (MOITI) and is on the board of the National Collegiate Inventors and innovators Alliance (NCIIA). In addition, she is a Fellow of the Beyster Institute at the Rady School of Management at UCSD. Dr. Barrow received her Ph.D. from the Science Studies Unit and a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Edinburgh. Back To Top ^

Mr. Mark Basler, Vice President, Business Development of Azuki Systems Mark Basler is Vice President of Business Development at Azuki, responsible for strategic account development and distribution relationships. Mark brings deep mobile content and digital media industry experience to his role along with a solid record of growing sales and strategic partnerships for emerging and established businesses. Most recently, Mark was Vice President / General Manager at IMG who is a worldwide leader in sports and entertainment marketing and media. Mark led a venture between IMG and Sprint focused on the creation of made-for-mobile video programming, selling advertising and sponsorship with firms such as Pepsi and Nissan and delivery as a new exclusive video channel to the Sprint mobile platform. Previously, Mark was a co-founder and Senior Vice President at InformTV, which is a spin-out from Avid Technology focused on interactive sports entertainment involving video streaming and interactive television technologies for digital cable broadcasters, branded sports websites and stadiums/arenas. Prior to this spin-out, Mark was Director of Sales and Marketing for the New Media Products Group at Avid Technology where he and forged partnerships with such companies as Microsoft, Yahoo, Broadcast.com, Real Networks, Apple and Intel. Mark has also worked closely with handset OEMs and mobile operators while serving in executive business development and marketing roles for several display technology startups. Earlier in his career, Mark held engineering and product management positions with Motorola and Analog Devices. Mark has an MBA from the Babcock School of Management at Wake Forest University and a bachelors of science in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee School of Engineering. Back To Top ^

Mr. George Caledonia, Past President and CEO of Physical Sciences Inc Mr Caledonia is past president and CEO of Physical Sciences Inc. He has over forty years experience in procuring, performing and managing research and development projects, and has been active in the SBIR program since its inception. During the last fifteen years he has also been active in the commercialization of new technologies through production, partnering, licensing and spinouts . Mr Caledonia has an AB and MS in physics from Northeastern University . He is an Associate Fellow of the AIAA and a member of APS and ACS . Back To Top ^

Dr. Tim Coleman, Co-founder of Nemucore Medical Innovations Before co-founding Nemucore Medical Innovations, Tim was the leader of the Biomedical Strategy Group in PricewaterhouseCoopers Health Industries Practice. Residing in the firm's Boston office, Dr. Coleman worked with health science companies, delivering advisory services including business development strategies, intellectual property protection and management systems, R&D planning and operations, technology valuation, and commercialization strategies. He was also the lead author of the firm's co-sponsored report Super Cluster: Perspectives, Opinions and Facts from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Industry in 2007 & 2008. Prior to joining PricewaterwaterhouseCoopers, Dr. Coleman was president, CEO and co-founder of BioCache Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Richmond, Virginia-based biopharmaceutical company primarily engaged in the research and development of cancer vaccines. There, he was a National Cancer Institute funded principal investigator studying the interaction of cancer vaccines with Toll-Like Receptors (TLRs) to induce a clinically relevant immune response. Additionally, he successfully led the firm's growth through early stage funding, strategic expansion and eventual establishment of a non-founding executive leadership team. Dr. Coleman also has served as a technical adviser to venture capital firms, assessing the feasibility of life sciences technologies in biotechnology business plans. He is an elected member of the Massey Cancer Center, an internationally recognized center of excellence for cancer research and education. A frequent guest lecturer and panelist, Dr. Coleman has spoken on numerous academic and industry association conferences, including at Massachusetts Legislative Life Science Caucus, BIO, MIT, Boston University, Virginia Biotechnology Association, Denver Entrepreneurship Council, and the Massachusetts Office for International Trade and Investment. Back To Top ^

Mr. Christopher Dippel, Consultant of Venture Mentoring Service Chris is a self-employed consultant providing advice and assistance in business strategy and resource development to companies and not-for-profit organizations, including transaction support, business planning, operations development, marketing, and partnering. His recent projects include the founding and management of First Founders, Ltd., a non-profit venture that is accelerating the growth of technology-based companies through access to the experience of senior managers and serial entrepreneurs, serving as a mentor in MIT's Venture Mentoring Service, and advising Dragonfly Sciences, Inc., a research services start-up. He is also a pro-bono adviser to non-profits in the areas of global health and international development. Chris has worked for large and small biotech/pharma companies and his former positions include Director, Business Development, Modular Genetics, Inc. (Cambridge, MA); Senior Director, Business Development, GlycoFi, Inc. (Lebanon, NH); and Director, Technology Licensing, Global Business Development Group, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals (Cambridge, MA). Chris has also worked in academia as Director, Technology Transfer, New England Medical Center; Senior Technology Transfer Officer, Boston Children's Hospital; Project Manager, Office of Technology Licensing and Industry-Sponsored Research, Harvard Medical School; and Senior Officer, Industrial Liaison Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He holds an undergraduate degree in biology from MIT and graduate degrees in physiology from the Universities of Kansas and Idaho. Back To Top ^

Mr. Abbot Gilman of Serial entrepreneur and investor Mr. Gilman is a successful serial entrepreneur, investor and advisor to venture funds and emerging technology companies. Mr. Gilman was a Founder, Director and Chief Operating Officer of Broadband Access Systems, Inc. (BAS), a private company that was acquired by ADC Telecommunications, Inc. in September, 2000. Prior to co-founding BAS, he was a Principal and Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Applied Network Technology, Inc., acquired by Fore Systems in May of 1995. Following the acquisition at Fore Systems, as Director of Marketing, he successfully launched Fore's Ethernet Switch product line. Mr. Gilman spent 17 years at Digital Equipment Corporation in various Management & Marketing roles. He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and events. He holds a BS degree in Business Administration from Northeastern University with Honors and an MBA from Babson College. Back To Top ^

Mr. Rana Gupta, Chief Executive Officer of HistoRx Previous to joining HistoRx, Mr. Gupta was a Managing Director at Navigator Technology Ventures (NTV), the lead A Round investor in HistoRx. Prior to his position with NTV, he was Product Manager for Global Services with yet2.com, a B2B marketplace for technology transfer. Before that, Mr. Gupta founded IndoSine U.S. Link, Ltd., a business development company that helps clients to expand businesses in India, China, and the U.S. While at IndoSine, Mr. Gupta co-founded a wireless software company, International Solutions, for which he served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. He also served as Manager, PRC Investment Strategy for Zeneca Pharmaceuticals in China. Before joining Zeneca, he was Senior Consultant at Arthur D. Little, Inc. and served as a member of the start-up team for the company's Bangalore, India office. He holds an MBA in Finance and International Business from New York University's Stern School of Business, an MS in Operations Research from Stanford University, and a BA in Mathematics from Earlham College. Back To Top ^

Dr. Shann Kerner, Partner, Intellectual Property Department of WilmerHale Dr. Shann Kerner is a partner in the firm's Intellectual Property Department, and a member of the Intellectual Property Litigation Practice Group. She joined the firm in 1996. Before joining the firm, Dr. Kerner was associated with several Boston patent boutique firms. Dr. Kerner practices primarily in the biotechnology area. She is involved in client advising, managing patent portfolios, all aspects of domestic and foreign patent prosecution, IP due diligence in connection with corporate transactions and internal audits, and in patent litigation. Dr. Kerner has extensive experience in patent drafting and prosecution in the fields of molecular biology, biochemistry, biomedical prosthetic implants, cell biology, immunology and virology. She is also involved in the preparation of patent validity, infringement, patentability, clearance opinions and landscape opinions, and in patent litigation and IP due diligence. Dr. Kerner received a JD degree from Suffolk University Law School. She earned a Ph.D. degree in biomedical sciences: molecular biology and biochemistry from the University of Connecticut Medical School, completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School, and held a joint faculty appointment at Harvard Medical School's Department of Developmental Neurology and Children's Hospital Medical Center in Boston. She received a BA degree with a concentration in biology from the premedical program at Boston University and received a distinction award for a project performed at Harvard Medical School. Back To Top ^

Mr. Richard Klein, Co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Mycosol, Inc Mr. Klein was named to the Board of Directors on June 23, 2004. Mr. Klein is a Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Mycosol, Inc., an development-stage chemical and pharmaceutical development company. He is a 33-year veteran of the healthcare industry, having served in a general management capacity at both large and small (early-stage) companies. From July 1998 through the sale of his company in December 2002, Mr. Klein was President, CEO, and a member of the Board of Directors of ArgoMed, Inc., a company whose thermotherapy technology was used to treat diseases of the prostate. Between January 1993 and June 1998, Mr. Klein held several executive positions - President, Chief Operating Officer, Executive Vice President, and Director - of Angiosonics, Inc., a therapeutic ultrasound company. Previously, Mr. Klein was Vice President and General Manager of the Edward Weck Company, a surgical instrument and implant subsidiary of Bristol-Myers Squibb. Mr. Klein also served as an executive with C.R. Bard, Inc., for 14 years, ten as President of the Bard Medsystems Division, a recognized leader in drug delivery systems. During his career, Mr. Klein has led some significant product development efforts and market introductions, including: balloon angioplasty, patient controlled analgesia (PCA), the Mini-Infuser and "Smart" Pump delivery systems, minimally invasive surgery (laparoscopy), endometrial and prostatic ablation by thermotherapy, and ultrasound thrombus ablation. He holds both a BS and an MS in Engineering from Northeastern University, an MBA from Babson College, and was the subject of a Harvard Case Study on intrapreneurs - i.e., entrepreneurs who work in large companies - which was featured in a 1988 business text, General Managers In Action, by Francis Joseph Agular. He also holds numerous patents, issued or pending, in medical devices. Back To Top ^

Mr. Jeffrey Kosiba, Intellectual Property Manager, Division of Technology Transfer of Northeastern University Prior to joining Northeastern, Jeff received his Bachelor of Science degree at UMASS and spent several years conducting research in fields including microbiology, molecular genetics, immunology, gastroenterology and infectious diseases. Jeff worked as a Technical Sales Consultant for QIAGEN, a world-wide leader in products for nucleic acid and protein purification. In 1997, Jeff left the scientific world behind to attend the University of Dayton School of Law where he focused on intellectual property matters. Upon graduating from law school, Jeff took a position as a patent associate at Medlen & Carroll, LLP where he prosecuted biotechnology-based patent applications. Jeff co-founded his own law firm, Erenburg & Kosiba Legal Services, in 2003 and provided intellectual property and business development services to a wide range of clients. In 2006, Jeff left his successful private practice to take his current position at Northeastern. Back To Top ^

Mr. Bruce Lampert, Vice President, Marketing & Business Development of North End Technologies Mr. Lampert brings to North End Technologies more than 20 years of experience productizing new technologies, developing go-to market strategies and building sales channels. His efforts resulted in building powerful brands and positioning the companies as respective industry leaders. Prior to joining North End, he was Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at Myvu Corporation, a consumer electronics company. At Myvu he created the brand and positioned the product as the world-wide leader in the video eyewear category. He successfully launched the product with Apple and established a presence in the retail channel. Mr. Lampert was the VP of Sales of MicroOptical Corporation where he developed new markets for the company's products and developed OEM and strategic partners with Raytheon, GE Healthcare, DePuy, Stryker, and Philips. Prior to MicroOptical he served as the VP of Business Development for GoldPocket Interactive, a leader in interactive TV, and as EVP & President of United Technical Products which he sold to Fidelity Capital. Mr. Lampert has a BA in Political Science from the University of Rochester and an MBA from Babson College. Back To Top ^

Dr. David Luzzi, Dean, College of Engineering of Northeastern University David E. Luzzi, Dean of Northeastern University College of Engineering, is a distinguished scientist and former University of Pennsylvania professor known for developing innovative interdisciplinary programs. At the University of Pennsylvania, Luzzi established a reputation as an entrepreneurial leader in science and technology. He co-founded The Nanotechnology Institute, eventually expanding membership to 12 prestigious universities, colleges and research institutions. Obtaining $16 million in core funding from the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Luzzi fostered partnerships with corporations in aerospace, biotechnology, chemical, medical device, and pharmaceutical and sensor industries. Author of 120 scientific articles in peer reviewed publications; Luzzi is internationally renowned in nanotechnology, advising leaders in the United States and around the world. His discovery of the peapod class of nanomaterials landed him on the cover of Science and garnered worldwide press coverage. In addition to his scholarly endeavors, Luzzi is the science and technology chair emeritus of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board. As science and technology chair, Luzzi led reviews of the $3.6B Air Force Research Laboratory program. His workforce development, educational initiatives, and outreach programs have impacted thousands of students and teachers. "David Luzzi's entrepreneurial and collaborative spirit, combined with his proven ability to bring together academics and industry leaders across disciplines, makes him the ideal person to lead our College of Engineering," said Northeastern President Joseph Aoun. "He has demonstrated that he is a gifted innovator." Luzzi is at the helm at Northeastern's first college as it is poised to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2009. The college is widely acclaimed for its National Science Foundation national centers of research in nanomanufacturing and subsurface sensing and imaging. In addition to his B.E. in engineering physics from the Stevens Institute of Technology and a Ph.D in materials science and engineering from Northwestern University, Luzzi holds an M.B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business. Back To Top ^

Dr. Constantinos Mavroidis, Professor, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering of Northeastern University Dr. Constantinos Mavroidis is a Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at Northeastern University in Boston MA since July 1, 2006. He was an Associate Professor (with Tenure) in the same department from January 1, 2004 to June 30, 2006. He is also a Visiting Scientist at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Shriners Hospital for Children in Boston, MA since October 2001. Dr. Mavroidis was a Tenured Associate Professor at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Rutgers University (2001 - 2004), an Assistant Professor at the same department (1996 - 2001), a member of the graduate program of the Rutgers Department of Biomedical Engineering (2000 - 2003), a faculty member of CAIP: The Rutgers Center for Advanced Information Processing (1998 - 2003) and Visiting Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard University Medical School (2001 - 2003). He received the Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens, Greece in 1988 and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering / Robotics from the University of Paris VI, France, in 1989 and 1993 respectively. From 1993 to 1996 he was a Post-Doctoral Associate at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has been a Visiting Scholar at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University, CA (1990) and a Visiting Researcher at the University of Tokyo (1991). Dr. Mavroidis' research during the last 5 years was primarily supported by the following external grants: WGI Inc. $850K, NSF IIS (Information and Intelligent Systems) $750K; NSF RAPD (Research to Aid People with Disabilities), NSF NIRT (Nanotechnology Interdisciplinary Research Team) $1M; NSF CMS (Civil and Mechanical Systems) $220K; CAREER NSF (Engineering Design) $327K; NIAC (NASA Institute of Advanced Studies) $475K; NASA JPL $75K; General Motors $75K. Dr. Mavroidis has supervised 10 completed Ph.D. theses and 15 completed Masters theses. Dr. Mavroidis is co-inventor in 2 patents issued, 4 full and 3 provisional patent applications pending. Back To Top ^

Mr. Jeffrey McCarthy of North Bridge Venture Partners Jeff McCarthy joined North Bridge Venture Partners in December 1998. Prior to joining North Bridge, he was the President and CEO of New Oak Communications, a leading provider of extranet access switches. Once New Oak was acquired by Bay Networks, a Nortel Networks line of business, Jeff served as Vice President and General Manager of the Access Division. Prior to New Oak Jeff was the Vice President of Sales and Business Development at Cadia Networks, a developer of ATM concentrator products for the service provider marketplace. Prior to Cadia, Jeff spent eight years at Wellfleet Communications/Bay Networks where he held various senior management positions, including Vice President of Carrier Operations. Jeff is a graduate of Northeastern University, School of Management (Magna Cum Laude), and received his MBA (magna cum laude) from Bentley College. Back To Top ^

Mr. Mark McWilliams, CEO of Medipacs, Inc Since June 2007 Mr. McWilliams has served as the CEO of Medipacs, Inc a development stage infusion device company. Prior to that, from December 2003 to November 2005 he was Director of Cell Imaging and Analysis at Beckman Coulter after the recent sale of Q3DM to Beckman in December 2003. He was President and Chief Executive Officer and Director of Q3DM, from October 2001 to December 2003, a lifesciences startup that raised several angel and venture capital funding rounds that was acquired by Beckman Coulter. Previously, he was founder and COO of Medication Delivery Devices ("MDD"), an alternate care infusion systems company that was acquired by Baxter Healthcare in 1996. Mr. McWilliams served as a VP of Research and Development at Baxter Healthcare for three years following the sale of MDD. Prior to MDD, he served as Product Development Manager at the founding of Block Medical where he was responsible for bringing the company's first two FDA approved products rapidly to market. Block was sold to Hillenbrand Industries in 1991. He previously worked for Hughes Aircraft, Vacuum General and Martin Marietta. He earned his MSME from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, his BSME from Northeastern University and holds eight utility patents. Back To Top ^

Dr. Susan Riley Keyes, Executive, Division of Technology Transfer of Northeastern University Currently, Dr. Keyes markets and licenses intellectual property for Northeastern University. These licenses with established and start up companies both in the USA are intended to lead to the commercialization of inventions from Northeastern University's faculty and students. Before becoming the Technology Transfer Executive, in the Division of Technology Transfer at Northeastern University Dr Keyes worked in industry and academia, including as Director of Cell Biology, Biomeasure, Incorporated in Milford, MA, and as a Visiting Scientist, Department of Cancer Pharmacology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA while attending law school. Dr. Keyes has over thirty (30) scientific manuscripts and two (2) legal manuscripts in peer reviewed journals. These publications address diverse topics, such as fatty acid, alcohol and drug metabolism; signal transduction pathways, mechanism of action and basic/applied/preclinical research on small molecules and therapeutic peptides, intellectual property and international trade issues. Dr. Keyes belongs to several professional societies, including Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM), the Licensing Executives Society, and is a licensed attorney in Massachusetts. Presently, she is co-chair for the AUTM Eastern regional meeting and on the Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Committee for the National Tay-Sacks and Allied Diseases Inc. Dr Keyes received, a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of CT Health Center, Farmington, CT, Postdoctoral Training in Pharmacology at Yale University, New Haven, CT and a J.D. (Cum Laude) from Suffolk University Law School, Boston, MA. Back To Top ^

Ms. Mary Secor, Program Coordinator for Outreach of National Collegiate Inventors & Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) Mary Secor is the Program Coordinator for Outreach at the National Collegiate Inventors & Innovators Alliance (NCIIA). She is responsible for the development and implementation of entrepreneur education programs, such as the national Invention to Venture (I2V) workshops. Ms. Secor also works with NCIIA members and strategic partners to promote invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship in higher education Mary Secor has over nineteen years of experience in higher education as an educator, advisor, program director, administrator, and consultant and has presented at national conferences on topics related to student learning, retention, engagement and performance. Back To Top ^

Dr. Paul Zavracky of Memsic, Inc., Northeastern University Paul M. Zavracky has served as a director since 1999. Dr. Zavracky's more than 30 years of business experience includes research at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, teaching at a major university, and management of successful venture funded companies. Prior to joining Northeastern as the Dean of the School of Technological Entrepreneurship, he was the president and chief operating officer of The MicroOptical Corporation, a start-up company he co-founded. Between 1991 and 1998, he was a tenured professor of electrical engineering at Northeastern University where he established a micro-electromechanical systems program that developed both surface and bulk micromachined devices. He raised more than $9 million in research funding. Dr. Zavracky was the chief operating officer of Kopin Corporation, a venture backed company that he and a small group of colleagues from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Lincoln Labs started. He led the effort in establishing Kopin's SOI materials capability as an enabling technology for liquid crystal microdisplays. Dr. Zavracky spent five years at The Foxboro Company as principal scientist and technical group leader establishing a MEMS program beginning in 1980. Dr. Zavracky also spent five years at Coulter Corporation managing the government system group working on electrophotographic film and five years at MIT Lincoln Laboratory where he was involved in the development of materials for solar energy applications. He obtained his Ph.D. in physics at Tufts University. He holds bachelors and master's degrees in physics from Northeastern University. He has more than 100 publications and 67 issued patents. Back To Top ^