Reed named executive director of intellectual property exchange at Auburn University

Patrick Reed, formerly assistant vice chancellor for innovation and partnerships at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, has been named the new executive director of the Intellectual Property Exchange (IPX) at Auburn University. He officially assumed the role on Jan. 2.

The IPX supports the university’s technology and research by creating and nurturing a productive relationship between Auburn researchers and industry. It also protects intellectual property rights through patents, copyrights and licenses as well as establishes and fosters ties between academia and the marketplace.

A graduate of the University of Tennessee-Martin with a master’s in biotechnology from Northwestern University, Reed has more than 20 years’ experience in technology transfer, including stints at the LSU Agricultural Center and at the Georgia Technological Institute Research Corporation prior to joining the LSU Health Sciences Center. In his last position at LSU, he was also responsible for technology transfer at the university’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge.

“I started my career at LSU in the agricultural area, then moved to Georgia Tech where I learned about engineering, then went into the health sciences area back at LSU again,” Reed said. “So, I have experience in all three areas, and I’m really excited to have the opportunity to bring all those pieces together in one place at Auburn.”

But Reed also plans to expand the reach of the IPX throughout the university, even into areas that it may not have touched previously.

“My focus will be to grow innovation in every corner of the university, not just the traditional areas,” Reed said. “There are lots of opportunities to go in new areas and new directions that may not have seen IPX before. I’m very excited to explore the possibilities.”