Stacey Patterson Ph.D., President of the University of Tennessee Research Foundation (UTRF), will speak at the Kiwanis Club of Knoxville’s luncheon at The Foundry on April 5th, 2018, starting at noon. She will provide an overview of UTRF initiatives and its mission to promote the commercialization of University of Tennessee (UT) technologies, contribute to state and regional economic development, and encourage an entrepreneurial culture.
Dr. Patterson assumed the role of UTRF President in November 2017 when she was appointed UT Vice President for Research, Outreach, and Economic Development. She is the first woman to serve as the Vice President for Research in the history of the UT system. In this role, Dr. Patterson is responsible for the management and oversight of several statewide initiatives focused on improving research infrastructure as well as expanding UT’s role and impact on economic development in the state. At UTRF, she oversees the commercialization of UT technologies and development of strategic partnerships with industry. Dr. Patterson’s appointment comes at an exciting time for UTRF. In fiscal year 2017, UTRF filed 98 patents, received an all-time high of 166 new invention disclosures, and executed 17 new license agreements.
Dr. Patterson first joined UTRF in 2006, where she served a joint role as a UTRF licensing associate and a research scientist in the Center for Environmental Biotechnology. As a licensing associate, she was responsible for managing a broad portfolio of intellectual property for licensing and commercialization to the private sector. Since then, she has assumed leadership roles within the UT system including Director of Research Partnerships in 2009, Assistant Vice President and Director of Research Partnerships in 2012, and UT Associate Vice President for Research and UTRF Vice President in 2015. She has also led several statewide initiatives, including the $62.5 million Volunteer State Solar Initiative.
Dr. Patterson is a UT graduate herself, with bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in microbiology. She also holds a master’s degree in environmental health sciences from East Tennessee State University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of South Florida. During her tenure at UT, Dr. Patterson has secured and administered nearly $100 million in extramural research funding from agencies such as the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, and National Institutes of Health. She has also been a contributor on seven U.S. patents in sensor development and cancer imaging.