Duke Hires New Director of Licensing and Ventures

Robin Rasor has been named director of Duke’s Office of Licensing and Ventures, which is responsible for helping faculty and students patent and license their discoveries and, if they so choose, start on the path to forming a spin-off company.

Rasor comes to Duke from the University of Michigan, where she has been the managing director of licensing within the university’s Office of Technology Transfer. Rasor starts July 1.

“The goal is to put Duke’s licensing efforts on par with its excellence in research and so many other areas,” Rasor said. “When people think about startups and licensing and efficient technology transfer, I want Duke to also be on the tip of their tongues.”  

At Michigan, which is now the largest research university in the country, Rasor presided over a licensing office that reached 164 licensing agreements and was awarded 159 patents in the 2015 fiscal year.

“Robin will be a great partner for Duke’s entrepreneurial community,” said Provost Sally Kornbluth. “She has an infectious enthusiasm for interacting with faculty and students, helping to foster the development and commercialization of new technologies, and guiding inventors through the complex process of bringing their discoveries to the public.” 

“I am confident Robin will provide outstanding counsel and invaluable guidance to a new generation of Duke entrepreneurs,” said Dr. A. Eugene Washington, chancellor for health affairs and president and chief executive officer of the health system. “She brings to Duke a breadth and depth of knowledge and expertise related to a critical dimension of our mission, which is translating discoveries into public benefit.”

Vice Provost Eric Toone, who directs the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative at Duke, praised Rasor’s accomplishments at Michigan.

“Her tremendous experience and success at Michigan bodes well for the future of tech transfer and translation here at Duke,” Toone said. “All of us in I&E look forward to working with Robin and to building a strong, seamless, effective relationship with Robin and her team.”

Rasor, who has her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the sciences, has earned a CLP (Certified  Licensing Professional) credential and is the past-president and chair of the Board of Governors of Certified Licensing Professionals, Inc. She is also a past-president of the Association of University Technology Managers Board of Trustees.

Rasor was previously director of licensing at The Ohio State University and worked with Battelle Columbus Laboratories, a contract research firm, for a decade before that.

Rasor succeeds Rose Ritts, who led Duke’s Office of Licensing and Ventures through a period of rapid growth from 2006 to 2015, but left to become executive vice president of innovation at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. OLV managing director and biomedical engineering professor Barry Myers served as interim director of the office during the search for Ritts’ replacement.

“I’ve always loved Duke for its research, beauty, and of course, sports,” Rasor said. “I’m hopeful that someone – anyone – will give me a ticket or two to a basketball game next season!”