Senior Partner

• Jul 2023 - Present

Principal, Director Of Intellectual Property

• May 2019 - Present

Anzu Partners is a venture capital and private equity firm that invests in breakthrough industrial technologies. We team with entrepreneurs to develop and commercialize technological innovations by providing capital and deep expertise in business development, intellectual property, market positioning, global connectivity, and operations. Anzu and its portfolio companies are hiring: http://anzupartners.com/careers/ Anzu Partners is a venture capital and private equity firm that invests in breakthrough industrial technologies. We team with entrepreneurs to develop and commercialize technological innovations by providing capital and deep expertise in business development, intellectual property, market positioning, global connectivity, and operations. Anzu and its portfolio companies are hiring: http://anzupartners.com/careers/

Board Member, Commercialization Advisory Board (CAB)

• Mar 2021 - Present

CMaT is a multi-institutional center, led by Georgia Tech, focused on creating new tools and technologies to make therapeutic cell manufacturing more reproducible, scalable, cost-effective, and widely available to more people that need them. The Center is comprised of 9 academic institutions - Georgia Tech (lead), University of Georgia, Univ Wisconsin, Univ Puerto Rico Mayaquez, Penn Medicine, Gladstone Institute, University of Oregon, Morgridge Institute for Research, and Emory University). Our international partners include CCRM in Toronto, CURAM in Ireland, and Osaka University. The technologies developed through the ~50 projects at CMaT's nine partner institutions and related centers like the Marcus Center for Therapeutic Cell Characterization and Manufacturing include innovations such as in-line or at-line real-time process analytical technologies, biosensors for process control, and analytics, transduction and gene editing technologies, bioprocessing technologies for improving scale and cost, better potency analytics, automation tools, novel biomaterials for bioreactors, and new supply chain modeling algorithms for the cell manufacturing industry. Show less

Board Member and Co-Founding Partner

• Feb 2021 - Present

The Startup Runway Foundation plugs investors into the top startups led by underrepresented founders through our Showcase events. Women and people of color get less than 5% of investments in startups–yet represent over 40% of founders. At Startup Runway, we turn the funding gap into an onramp, so innovation soars. The Startup Runway Foundation plugs investors into the top startups led by underrepresented founders through our Showcase events. Women and people of color get less than 5% of investments in startups–yet represent over 40% of founders. At Startup Runway, we turn the funding gap into an onramp, so innovation soars.

Board Member (Venture Capital) and Founder, Chair of the University IP Alliance

• Nov 2019 - Present

The Georgia Intellectual Property Alliance® (GIPA #gaipalliance) is empowering Georgia IP to advance society.™ Our mission is to provide the leadership, resources and advocacy to make Georgia a global model for the most efficient and effective ecosystem to facilitate creation, protection, and enablement of intellectual property for the economic and social well-being of our citizens. The Georgia Intellectual Property Alliance® (GIPA #gaipalliance) is empowering Georgia IP to advance society.™ Our mission is to provide the leadership, resources and advocacy to make Georgia a global model for the most efficient and effective ecosystem to facilitate creation, protection, and enablement of intellectual property for the economic and social well-being of our citizens.

Venture Mentor

• Sep 2019 - Present

Mentor for researchers and companies of the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering & Bioscience. Mentor for researchers and companies of the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering & Bioscience.

Founder and Managing Partner

• Jan 2020 - Jul 2023

The Sears Group dba Innovators Legal is a boutique firm working with venture capital and early-stage companies covering a number of different technology areas. Services include agreements, entity and fund formation and governance, transactions, patents, trademarks, trade secrets, IP agreements and opinions, litigation support and strategy, and global portfolio management. We're working with some of the most innovative universities, companies, and investors in the world. Admitted to practice: Georgia, Court of Appeals of Georgia, Supreme Court of Georgia, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. GA BAR No. 279,066 USPTO Reg. No. 72,891 Show less

Adjunct Faculty

• Feb 2019 - Dec 2022

Developing and teaching upper-level courses in intellectual property. Courses include "Intellectual Property for Business Professionals" "Patent Prosecution Seminar" Developing and teaching upper-level courses in intellectual property. Courses include "Intellectual Property for Business Professionals" "Patent Prosecution Seminar"

Intellectual Property Attorney

• Jun 2014 - Jan 2020

Previous Position: Patent Agent. Previous Position: Patent Agent.

Commercialization/Business Development Intern

• Sep 2015 - Apr 2017

Working with commercialization associates at Wake Forest Innovations to help manage technology portfolios generated across Wake Forest Baptist Health and Wake Forest University including engaging faculty in innovation and commercialization process, market analysis, licensing and partnering agreements and negotiations, and intellectual property strategies. Working with commercialization associates at Wake Forest Innovations to help manage technology portfolios generated across Wake Forest Baptist Health and Wake Forest University including engaging faculty in innovation and commercialization process, market analysis, licensing and partnering agreements and negotiations, and intellectual property strategies.

President/Founder

• Jul 2012 - Jul 2014

Computational Science Consultants provided computational solutions for academic and industrial clients in chemistry, materials, and polymer science. Services ranged from consulting and training for in-house computational scientists, to full-blown applications or development designed to complement or guide in-house research efforts. Computational Science Consultants provided computational solutions for academic and industrial clients in chemistry, materials, and polymer science. Services ranged from consulting and training for in-house computational scientists, to full-blown applications or development designed to complement or guide in-house research efforts.

Scientific Advisor

• Jun 2012 - Jun 2014

Senior Research Scientist

• Jan 2008 - Jun 2012

My research interests lie at the interface between theory, computation, and application. In all cases, efforts are directed at performing and/or enabling accurate computations of challenging and interesting chemical systems. Some of my research interests include:• the application of multi-reference methods to challenging chemical problems.• the application of ab-initio approaches to π-conjugated materials.• materials for applications in organic photovoltaics and organic LEDs.• multi-core and many-core (GPU) computing in electronic structure theory.• range-separated hybrid functionals for organic materials.• the use of DFT methodologies for describing charge- and energy-transport parameters.Other Positions ( Research Scientist II, Postdoctoral Researcher, Postdoctoral Fellow) Show less

Graduate Research Assistant

• Aug 2003 - Dec 2007

Research assistant in the research group of Professor C. David Sherrill, working in the development and application of new methods in electronic structure theory with a special emphasis in applications to transition-metal catalysis.

Graduate Teaching Assistant

• Aug 2002 - Aug 2003

Taught an instrumental analysis lab for chemical engineering majors.

Contract Tutor

• 2004 - 2007

Contract tutoring in math, chemistry, physics, study skills, test prep. Contract tutoring in math, chemistry, physics, study skills, test prep.