Contact Us

Multi-Disciplinary Office (Knoxville)

UT Conference Center, Suite 211
600 S. Henley Street
Knoxville, TN 37996-4122
Phone: 865-974-1882
E-mail: utrf@tennessee.edu

Staff

David A. Washburn

President & CEO

Dave is President and CEO of UTRF. Prior to joining UTRF in 2011, Dave was Assistant Director at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he lead the software commercialization practice and helped launch 25 venture backed startup companies that went on to raise over $50M at a combined valuation exceeding $250M. He also held leadership positions in sales, marketing and international business development for Information Resources, Inc. (now Symphony IRI Group), Wolfram Research, Kuck & Associates (acquire by Intel) and InstallShield Software Corp (acquired by Flexera). He holds an MBA from the University of Illinois and the CLP designation from the Licensing Executives Society.

Nghia Chiem, Ph.D

Licensing Associate 
nchiem@tennessee.edu

Nghia is a licensing associate in the Knoxville office, where he focuses on the commercialization of technologies developed from inventors of the Institute of Agriculture, Chemistry, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. He has more than ten years of experience working in biotechnology and start-up companies. Prior to joining UTRF, Nghia served as a senior scientist for Protein Discovery, a Knoxville-based life sciences company with a focus on commercializing sample preparation technologies for the mass-spectrometry market. He also previously was a senior application scientist at Coventor, and a cofounder of a spin-off company. Nghia has a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of Alberta, and a B.SC in chemical physics from Simon Fraser University.

Teresa Cooper

Accounting Assistant
tcoope20@tennessee.edu

Teresa is an Accounting Assistant at UTRF. She supports several aspects of the Accounting Department as well as providing day-to-day assistance to the Business Manager. She has over 15 years of experience as a bookkeeper in the private sector. Teresa holds an Associate of Applied Science degree from Pellissippi State.

Kimberly Hood

Marketing Manager
khood3@tennessee.edu

Kimberly is responsible for UTRF's website, e-newsletter, and social media presence, as well as the production of live feeds and video archiving of UTRF events and seminars. She aids in media relations and outreach efforts as needed. Prior to moving into the Marketing Manager role, Kimberly was the Business Incubator Coordinator, a position she held from 2009 to 2012.

Before joining UTRF, Kimberly completed a graphic design apprenticeship with DoubleJay Creative in Knoxville and worked as a sports writer for a small local paper. She is a 2008 graduate of the University of Tennessee with a B.S. in Journalism and Electronic Media.

Pamela Howell

Incubator Coordinator
plhowell@tennessee.edu

Pamela oversees day-to-day operations of the UTRF Business Incubator. Prior to working for the UTRF, Pamela worked for Department of Education c/o of EdFinancia Services as a Claims Analysis. Pamela is a 2007 graduate of University of Tennessee at Martin with a B.A. in University Studies. She also holds associates in Paralegal Studies and Office Administration. Pamela has over ten years experience as a University of Tennessee staff member.

Maha Krishnamurthy, Ph.D

Licensing Associate
mkrishn1@tennessee.edu

Maha Krishnamurthy is a licensing associate for the University of Tennessee Research Foundation - Multidisciplinary (Knoxville) Office. She is responsible for intellectual property portfolio management and commercialization UT's technologies from Plant Biotechnology, the College of Engineering, the College of Arts and Sciences. Maha's expertise includes bridging the gap between research and business by evaluating patentable inventions to identify suitable commercial partners, and coordinating a variety of interactions with companies and individuals interested in commercializing UT's technologies.

Prior to joining UTRF, Maha was an intellectual property commercialization, licensing and maturation consultant with clients such as the Oak Ridge National Laboratory; she provided essential support to ensure successful technology commercialization. Before that stint as a consultant, Maha was a postdoctoral research associate with the University of Tennessee and published over twenty top cited peer reviewed papers.

Maha has a doctor of philosophy in physics, as well as a MBA.

Samantha Jeffers

Business Manager
sjeffer6@tennessee.edu

Samantha manages the accounting needs for both of UTRF's locations (Knoxville and Memphis). Prior to joining UT, Samantha worked in public accounting for 10 years. She has acquired a broad working knowledge of different industries and has extensive experience in financial statement preparation, payroll and taxation. Samantha has a B.A. in accounting from University of North Florida and is currently pursuing her CPA license.

Susan McCue

Patent Coordinator
smccue@tennessee.edu

Susan joined the staff of UTRF as Patent Coordinator in 2012. This newly formed position focuses on the generation of invention/patent portfolio data, government and private sector report compliance, and the ongoing development and implementation of processes that assist technology transfer participants in achieving individual and common goals.

Susan came to UTRF with an extensive background in data and file management, having worked as a senior litigation paralegal specializing in case management and complex discovery issues. She worked with AmLaw 500 firms in Boston and Washington, D.C. as well as some of the top firms in Knoxville. She is well versed in utilizing the most up-to-date technologies to manage the flow of data and information while maintaining awareness of the varied and multi-faceted needs of the process participants.

Patrick Reynolds, Ph.D

Licensing Associate
preynol7@tennessee.edu

Patrick is a licensing associate at UTRF’s Knoxville office, where he manages the commercialization of technologies developed at the Graduate School of Medicine as well as innovation in the areas of biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, genome science, microbiology, and biomedical engineering. Before joining UTRF, Patrick was a postdoctoral fellow at Emory University, where his research focused on genetic and environmental factors contributing to neurodegeneration. He was also an intern in Emory’s Office of Technology Transfer, focused on commercializing medical devices and diagnostics. While in Atlanta, Patrick served as the director of the First Contact Program for Georgia Bio, connecting graduate students and postdoctoral fellows with mentors in various life science careers in the greater Atlanta area. Patrick holds a Ph.D. in biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Mary Ann Warwick Russell, J.D.

Senior Staff Attorney
marussell@tennessee.edu

Mary Ann is responsible for advising the research offices, faculty and staff at all of the UT campuses and institutes on intellectual property and related issues. This includes review and negotiation of intellectual property related provisions of University agreements, as well as research, material transfer and confidentiality agreements. Prior to joining UTRF, Mary Ann was in private practice in Knoxville. She received both her undergraduate and J.D. degrees from the University of Tennessee. She is very involved in the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) and is a member of their Central Region Planning Committee.

Jeanie Snider

Office Manager
jlsnider@tennessee.edu

Jeanie is responsible for processing all of the invention disclosures that flow through the MDO office and is responsible for the managing the administrative needs of the Knoxville office. She also helps maintain the disclosure database and handles the reporting requirements for the federal government. She has an associate's degree in business administration from Freed-Hardeman University, and is a Certified Professional Secretary.

Health Science Center Office (Memphis)

910 Madison Avenue, Suite 827
Memphis, TN 38163
Phone: 901-448-7827 
E-mail: utrf@tennessee.edu

Staff

Richard Magid, Ph.D.

Vice President
rmagid1@uthsc.edu | 901.448.1562

Richard is vice president of UTRF at the UT Health Science Center and manages the operations of the Memphis office. This office is responsible for all aspects of the commercialization of technologies developed at the UTHSC. The Memphis UTRF office also assists the UTHSC by negotiating confidentiality and material transfer agreements, offering educational programs on technology transfer and entrepreneurship, and connecting researchers with local economic development resources. Prior to joining UTRF in 2006, Richard worked as a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, where he entered the field of technology transfer via an internship at the Penn Center for Technology Transfer. Richard holds a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Georgia Tech and is also a registered patent agent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Lakita Cavin, J.D., Ph.D.

Staff Attorney and Licensing Associate
Lcavin@uthsc.edu | 901.448.7825

Lakita is part of the UT Health Science Center (UTHSC) team. She is responsible for licensing university technology as well as preparing and reviewing research-related contracts, such as material transfer, research and confidentiality agreements. Prior to joining UTRF, Lakita was an assistant professor at UTHSC where she studied the role of Nuclear Factor kappa B in liver cancer. She also was an assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Alcorn State University, where she received her B. S. in chemistry. She also holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from Auburn University, and a J.D. from the University of Memphis.

Janet Ralbovsky, Ph.D.

Licensing Associate
jralbovs@uthsc.edu | 901.448.1146

Janet is part of the UT Health Science Center (UTHSC) team and is responsible for licensing University technology. Prior to joining UTRF, Janet worked in drug discovery as a medicinal chemist and project leader at Cara Therapeutics and Johnson and Johnson. Janet holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the Pennsylvania State University and is a registered patent agent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. She is an inventor on seven issued U.S. patents.

Tinieka Thrailkill

Senior Administrative Services Assistant
ttriple2@uthsc.edu | 901.448.7827

Tinieka manages the administrative needs of the Memphis office. She helps maintain the disclosure database for Memphis work, prepares basic agreements and assists, as needed, with other agreements and licenses. Prior to joining UTRF, Tinieka worked at the UTHSC campus in Research Compliance where she assisted with the Office of Human Subjects Protection and Institutional Animal Care and Use department. Tinieka has an associate degree in paralegal studies and holds a bachelor's degree in nonprofit development and administration from the University of Memphis.

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