About Us
Robert S. MacWright, Ph.D., Esq.
Bob MacWright is Executive Director of the Salk Institute Office of Technology Development. Prior to joining Salk, Bob was a partner in the D.C. office of the New York intellectual property law firm Frommer Lawrence & Haug. From 1997 to 2009, he was Executive Director and CEO of the University of Virginia Patent Foundation, where he led a major expansion of patenting and licensing activities, created and led a Patent and Licensing Law Clinic at the UVA School of Law, founded subsidiary company Spinner Technologies, Inc. to support faculty entrepreneurs, and led creation of the Jefferson Corner Group, an angel investment fund focused on UVA start-ups. From 1988 to 1992, he initiated and led the technology transfer program at Rutgers University. Bob has a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Rutgers and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and also has a law degree from Rutgers Law – Newark. He is a Registered Patent Attorney, and previously practiced law with the IP firm Kenyon & Kenyon, the general practice firm Skadden. Arps, Slate Meagher & Flom. In his legal practice he has represented university and company clients in licensing, patent prosecution and litigation, and also represented investment firms in the financing of biotechnology companies. Bob is a well-known and popular speaker at meetings of the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) and the Licensing Executives Society (LES).
Paul is Director of Business Development for the Salk Institute's Office of Technology Development, and is responsible for developing research collaborations and sponsorships with industry. Paul is a member of Ireland's Innovation Taskforce, and was co-author of Ireland's Economic Development Plan. He previously served as Director of Biotechnology for Enterprise Ireland in Dublin, where he led a team of professionals in commercializing technologies from throughout the Irish university system. Paul also has considerable technology company experience. He founded Target Protein Technologies, Inc. in San Diego in 1999, and served as its Chief Scientific Officer. He also served in research positions at Corvas International, Inc., NovaDx, Inc., Mitsubishi Petrochemical Co., Ltd., and Flemming GmbH. Paul has a Ph.D. in molecular immunology from Dublin City University, Ireland, and holds certificates in Strategic Roadmapping from University of Cambridge, UK, and in Competitive Intelligence from Fuld Gilad Herring Academy in Amsterdam.
Michelle Booden, Ph.D. is a Senior Licensing Associate at the Salk Institute's Office of Technology Development and is a registered patent agent. Prior to joining Salk, Michelle was a Senior Licensing and Intellectual Property Manager and eventually Assistant Director of Licensing at the University of Pittsburgh. During her tenure at the University of Pittsburgh, Michelle's responsibilities included evaluating, patenting, and licensing biomedical therapeutic and diagnostic technologies both to established biotechnology companies and to University startups. She also worked closely with inventors, business and marketing teams, and colleagues in regulatory affairs on a variety of matters to move innovations from the bench-top to the bedside. From 2003 to 2008, Michelle was a Patenting and Licensing Manager at the National Institutes of Health. During her tenure at the NIH she was involved in the licensing and patenting of innovations from the National Cancer Institute, improving the overall efficiency of the NIH technology transfer process, initiating alliances with industry, and guiding scientists through the regulatory process at the FDA. Michelle was admitted to the patent bar in 2004. She received her PhD in biochemistry and cancer cell biology and held a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Lina is a Licensing Associate at the Salk Institute's Office of Technology Development. Prior to joining Salk, she was Licensing Associate in the Tufts University Office for Technology Licensing and Industry Collaborations in Boston. In that role, Lina was responsible for evaluating, protecting, marketing and licensing inventions in a variety of fields, as well as for negotiating sponsored research agreements, material transfer agreements and other related transactions. She also previously served as a technology transfer intern in the Wake Forest Office of Technology Asset Management. Lina has a Ph.D. in cancer biology from Wake Forest University, and an M.S. in foods and nutrition from Purdue. In 2010, Lina won first prize in a literature review competition held by the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM), for her article, "Technology Transfer Models: Traditional, Experimental and Hypothetical." She was also recently awarded AUTM's 2012 Howard Bremer Scholarship, which recognizes leadership potential.
Pam is the MTA associate at the OTD and handles the incoming and outgoing MTA requests for biological materials.
Constance is the Business Manager at the OTD and she handles research disclosures, existing agreements, revenue distributions and matters relating to patents such as filing and processing.
Art Root is the Patent Coordinator and Assistant to Bob MacWright. Art provides administrative support to the OTD team, and assists with the processing of material transfer agreements, research disclosures, and patent-related correspondence. He also serves as OTD's event coordinator. Art has a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from UCSD, and joined OTD in March 2009.
