OUR TEAM

Neil Veloso
Executive Director
(401) 863-1585  |    Email   |   Linkedin

Neil Veloso is the most senior officer in the University focused on commercializing Brown innovations through new venture creation, industry collaborations and licensing with strategic partners. Neil has spent two decades at the intersection of academic research, healthcare and commercialization. As a consultant and advisor, he worked with leading academic medical centers and institutions, private and public universities, and investors. Neil has held senior roles in commercialization as the Executive Director of technology transfer at Johns Hopkins University and a Senior Director at Cleveland Clinic Innovations. He has transactional experience in the fields of therapeutics, information technology, engineering and diagnostics with both established companies and venture-backed startups. Contact Neil if you are interested in partnering with industry to explore commercial pathways for your research.

 

Karen Bulock, PhD
Managing Director, Brown Biomedical Innovations-To-Impact Fund 
(401) 863-5460  |  Email

Karen Bulock has over twenty years of experience in discovery, preclinical, and early stage clinical project management. Prior to coming to Brown in August 2018, she served as Vice President of Research at RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation and as Associate Director of Research at Galena Biopharma, Inc. Karen has a PhD in Pharmacology from Yale University. Contact Karen for information about BBII Proof of Concept Awards and Life Sciences Impact Awards to fund biomedical translational research projects and for support with translational research and commercialization of biomedical technologies.

 

Brian Demers, '85
Director of Business Development- School of Engineering and Physics
(401) 863-5435  |    Email   |   Linkedin

Brian Demers is an executive leader with proven results in developing and managing new business and technology ventures. Early in his career, Brian co-founded and was Vice President of Engineering at ViaDSP. After the company was acquired by NMS Communications, Brian stayed on in various roles including VP & General Manager of the Mobile Application business unit (subsequently spun out as Livewire Mobile). A Brown alum, Brian joined Brown Technology Innovations in 2012. Contact Brian for support with commercial venturing inquiries regarding engineering and physics.

 

Len Katzman, JD
Director of Business Development- Data and Computer Science
(401) 863-9896  |    Email

As an attorney and business development professional, Len Katzman fosters strategic collaborations with industry through licensing, sponsored research, and launching new ventures. Prior to joining Brown in 2007, Len was a business attorney concentrating on intellectual property law, technology transactions, business contract negotiations, corporate governance and business counsel. Len’s work is informed by a 15-year career in private industry as a software engineer and computer systems development professional in businesses ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies. Len has a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Rhode Island and a J.D., cum laude, from Rogers Williams University School of Law. Contact Len for support with commercial venturing inquiries regarding data and computing science or questions about intellectual property.

 

large_Melissa Simon Headshot - square.jpgMelissa J. Simon, PhD
Director  of Business Development- Life Sciences
(401) 863-2497  |    Email

Melissa has over fifteen years of experience in pharmaceutical and biotechnology research, development, and commercialization.  Prior to joining Brown, Melissa served as the VP of Life Sciences Business Development for RI Commerce, responsible for strategically growing Rhode Island’s life science ecosystem. Before moving to Rhode Island, she was a Senior Director with Insight Strategy Advisors (now dba Precision Advisors), a life science strategy consulting firm focused on pharmaceutical market access, pricing, and reimbursement. Melissa holds a BS in bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania and a PhD in biomedical engineering from Columbia University. Contact Melissa if you are interested in commercial venturing or partnering with industry on opportunities in the life sciences.​

 

Andrew Bond, PhD
Senior Director of Business Development- Life Sciences
(401) 863-6005  |   Email

Andrew Bond has over twenty years of experience in biotechnology, genomics, and computational biology research and product strategy. Prior to joining Brown, Andrew served in executive roles at Universal Sequencing Technology, 1CellBio, Gen9, and PrimeraDx. Along the way, Andrew has been instrumental in the building of six life science startups (three of which were acquired) and led the pivot of a computational biology startup (Xpogen) into a quantitative hedge fund. Andrew has a PhD in Molecular Genetics from University of Massachusetts Medical School. Contact Andrew if you are interested in commercial venturing or partnering with industry on opportunities in the life sciences.

 

 

Victoria E. Campbell, PhD
Director of Business Development- Physical Sciences
(401) 863-1948  |   Email

 

Victoria has over fifteen years of experience in chemistry and materials research in both development and commercialization. Prior to joining Brown, Victoria worked in research and development and commercialization roles at Kebotix, Inc and Hyalex Therapeutics and as a visiting scholar at Harvard University. Before moving to New England she was a senior tenured researcher with the French Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) where her work focused on molecular spintronics and magnetic materials. Victoria holds a PhD in chemistry from the University of Cambridge. Contact Victoria if you are interested in commercial venturing or partnering with industry on opportunities in the physical sciences.

 

Jennifer L. Vieira
Assistant Director, Operations 
(401) 863-9239  |  Email

A graduate of Rhode Island College, Jenn Vieira has been an Intellectual Property Paralegal for over 10 years.  Prior to joining Brown, she worked as the Senior Intellectual Property Paralegal for MIT’s tech transfer office.  Her “in the trenches” experience includes managing the administrative aspects of patent  prosecution, maintaining data integrity of the patent management database and supporting the work of licensing officers with patent portfolio management in order to ensure the appropriate protection of intellectual property assets. Contact Jenn with any questions related to submitting an invention disclosure, application status and department billing. 

 

 

 Alexandra (Alex) Wong
 Innovation Fellow

Alexandra (Alex) Wong is an MD-PhD student studying Computational Biology at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She is co-advised by Lorin Crawford and Wafik El-Deiry. Before matriculating to graduate school, she worked as a software engineer at Yelp and athenahealth. Her interest in tech transfer began in high school when she filed a provisional patent inspired by her research in gastric cancer biomarker diagnostics. Alex's previous research experience at Johns Hopkins University, City of Hope Hospital, Stanford University, and Princeton University has spanned from diagnostic and therapeutic development to building computational models for oncology. Alex graduated from Brown University with an ScB in Computer Science and an AB in Biology.

 

 

 Josephine Kalshoven
 Innovation Fellow

Josephine Kalshoven is a biomedical engineering PhD candidate at Brown where she studies thumb biomechanics via robot-controlled cadaver studies and implantable sensor development. She has gained experience in medical device development, assessment, pitching, patenting, and commercialization through a variety of courses and projects at Brown University, Dartmouth College, the Technical University of Denmark, and the New England Medical Innovation Center. These include one project that resulted in a patented device for intraosseous access. She holds a B.A. and a B.E. in biomedical engineering from the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College.

 

 
 

 Zheng (Neal) Yin
 Student Intern

Neal Yin is a third year undergraduate student concentrating in computational biology at Brown. He is advised by Dr. Daniel Weinreich and is currently studying biological bet hedging with guidance from PhD candidates Maya Weissman and David Peede. Neal is also passionate about live music.