Joel B. Kirschbaum, Ph.D. - Director

Dr. Kirschbaum helped co-found and currently manages the University of California San Francisco’s technology transfer office. At UCSF the Office of Technology Management is responsible for evaluating, managing and licensing UCSF’s intellectual property, and helping create start-up biotechnology and medical device companies. Previously, he held executive biotechnology R&D positions with Ribogene, Berlex Biosciences and Stauffer Chemical Company (now part of Zeneca). Prior to joining industry, he was on the research faculty at Harvard Medical School. He holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Harvard University, where he trained in the laboratory of James D. Watson, a 1962 Nobel laureate, and earned a B.A. in Chemistry from Pomona College (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa).

You can contact Joel at 415-353-4462 or Joel.Kirschbaum@ucsf.edu

Karin Immergluck, Ph.D. - Senior Licensing Officer

Karin rejoined the OTM in June 2004, following 2 ½ years as a Licensing Officer at the Office of Technology Transfer in the UC Office of the President in Oakland, and one year previous to that as a part-time Licensing Intern at the OTM. She is responsible for technology management, licensing and outgoing material transfer agreements. While at the OTT, Karin managed a large life-sciences portfolio consisting of technologies from seven of the UC campuses. Her activities included managing patent interferences, infringement issues and other licensing-related disputes. Karin conducted her doctoral work at UCSF in the laboratory of Dr. J. Michael Bishop, in collaboration with her Swiss mentor, Dr. Ernst Hafen of the University of Zurich. Her research focused on elucidating the developmental roles of a cancer-related tyrosine kinase gene in Drosophila melanogaster. She received a M.S.-equivalent degree in biochemistry from the University of Zurich in Switzerland, where she began her research in Drosophila genetics. Karin’s technical background is strongest in genetics, and cell, molecular and developmental biology.

You can contact Karin at 415-353-4469 or Karin.Immergluck@ucsf.edu

Eileen Lee, Ph.D. - Senior Licensing Officer

Eileen joined the OTM licensing staff full-time in January 2006, after one year as a licensing intern and Patent Prosecution Analyst. She is responsible for technology management, licensing and outgoing material transfer agreements. Eileen earned her Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Microbiology and Molecular Biology from The Pennsylvania State University working in the laboratory of Andrew Henderson where she studied the regulation of HIV-1 expression in macrophages. Following her graduate studies, Eileen spent a year as a postdoctoral fellow in Mark Schlissel’s laboratory at UC Berkeley studying the mechanisms of B and T cell development. Eileen received her B.A. in Molecular and Cell Biology from UC Berkeley and has a strong technical background in immunology, molecular and cell biology.

You can contact Eileen at 415-353-4664 or Eileen.Lee@ucsf.edu

Sunita Rajdev, Ph.D. - Senior Licensing Officer

Sunita joined OTM as a part-time Intern in September 2000 before joining the office full-time in April 2001. She is responsible for licensing, outgoing material transfer agreements and technology management. Prior to that she held a position of Assistant Research Neuroscientist in the Department of Neurosurgery at UCSF. Sunita did her graduate work at the University of Pittsburgh in Ian Reynold's lab in the field of excitotoxicity. She completed her postdoctoral training at UCSF in Frank Sharp's lab in the Department of Neurology. At UCSF, Sunita's research focused on the molecular mechanisms underlying cellular injury in brain. She has a strong technical background in neuroscience, pharmacology, molecular and cell biology.

You can contact Sunita at 415-353-4470 or Sunita. Rajdev@ucsf.edu

Ellen Kats, Ph.D. – Licensing Officer

Ellen joined the OTM as a Licensing Associate in February 2007 having received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Science from UC San Diego in the laboratory of Richard Kolodner. Her dissertation focused on the role of chromatin assembly factors in genomic stability, DNA repair and cell cycle control. Prior to graduate school, Ellen earned her B.A. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from UC Berkeley, while concurrently conducting research in epithelial morphogenesis at Keith Mostov’s lab at UCSF. Ellen has a strong background in molecular and cellular biology, cancer biology, human and yeast genetics, and, interestingly enough, Opera. In addition to her licensing duties here, Ellen has been a practicing member of the World Shorinji Kempo Organization since 2003.

You can contact Ellen at 415-514-8210 or Ellen.Kats@ucsf.edu

Debbie Alexander, Ph.D. - Licensing Officer

Debbie joined the OTM in June 2009, after a one-year internship. Her responsibilities include technology management, licensing, and outgoing material transfer agreements.  Debbie received her scientific training in Great Britain.  She earned a  BSc in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Durham University and a DPhil in Plant Science from the University of Oxford, where she received a Gatsby Foundation Sainsbury Studentship to support her work in the laboratory of Jane Langdale. Following her graduate work, Debbie moved to Stanford, CA, to pursue postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Kathy Barton at the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Plant Biology, where she studied the interrelationship between stem cells and the establishment of developmental axes during organ formation.  Prior to joining the OTM, she worked as a Scientific Curator at The Arabidopsis Information Resource (TAIR), the international Arabidopsis database, to develop functional and phenotypic annotations for the Arabidopsis genome. Debbie has a strong background in developmental biology, genetics, and molecular biology.

You can contact Debbie at 415-514-8160 or debbie.alexander@ucsf.edu

Erin Overstreet, Ph.D. – Licensing Officer

Erin joined the OTM full-time in September 2008, after a six-month internship. She received her B.S. in Microbiology and her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Texas at Austin, working in the laboratory of Janice Fischer where she studied cell fate determination in the Drosophila compound eye. Erin then went on to a postdoctoral position in the laboratory of Larry Zipursky at UCLA, studying the mechanisms of neuronal connection specificity in fruit fly brains. With a strong background in molecular and cellular biology, genetics, and neurobiology, Erin’s responsibilities include technology management, licensing, and outgoing material transfer agreements.

You can contact Erin at 415-514-8211 or Erin.Overstreet@ucsf.edu

Kristin Agopian, Ph.D. - Senior Licensing Liaison

Kristin joined the OTM in August, 2008. Her responsibilities include assisting in technology management, drafting outgoing material transfer, nondisclosure, and interinstitutional agreements, conducting special prior art and competitive market analyses, and supporting the OTM’s intern program. Prior to joining the OTM she was a Senior Analyst with Health Advances, a consulting firm in the Boston area that provides business strategy solutions for biotech, pharmaceutical, medical device and diagnostic companies and non-profits. She has been a Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Fellow at the National Academies, where she worked with the University-Industry Demonstration Partnership (UIDP) - a professional group dedicated to enhancing the technology transfer process. Kristin earned her Ph.D. in Virology from Harvard University in the laboratory of Dana Gabuzda. Her dissertation focused on the Nef protein of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Prior to her graduate studies, Kristin worked as a Research Assistant in the cell biology lab of Bernie Gilula at The Scripps Research Institute. She received her A.B. from Princeton University where she studied Drosophila development and speciation under Hope Hollocher.

You can contact Kristin at 353-4463 or kristin.agopian@ucsf.edu

Dior Baumjohann, Ph.D. - Licensing Associate

Dior joined the OTM in July 2011, after an eight-month licensing internship. Her responsibilities include technology management, licensing and outgoing material transfer agreements. Dior began her scientific training at the University of Washington as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Researcher and earned B.S. degrees in both Microbiology and Cellular & Molecular Biology and a Minor in Chemistry. For her graduate studies, she received a Master's degree in Virology from Harvard University and a Ph.D. (summa cum laude) in Cell Biology and Immunology from the University of Bern in Switzerland. She conducted her doctoral work in the laboratory of Markus Manz at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Switzerland, studying the role of cytokines during dendritic cell development. In addition to research, Dior worked as a freelance Scientific Writer/Editor and Graphic Designer.

You can contact Dior at 415-353-4655 or dior.baumjohann@ucsf.edu

Darya Bubman, Ph.D. - Licensing Associate

Darya joined the OTM in November 2011, after a three-month licensing internship. Her responsibilities include technology management, licensing and outgoing material transfer agreements. Darya earned a B.A. degree in Biochemistry from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. and a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences in New York City. She conducted her doctoral work in the laboratory of Dr. Ethel Cesarman, studying deregulation of cancer signaling pathways by the Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) in primary effusion lymphoma. Following her graduate studies, Darya became an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow and worked at the U.S. State Department in the Intellectual Property Office on international issues related to biomedical IP, innovation, and technology transfer. Prior to joining OTM, she worked as a Technology Partnerships Manager at the NASA Ames Research Center located at Moffett Field, CA. Darya has a strong background in virology, oncology, pharmacology and molecular biology.

You can contact Darya at 415-514-8976 or darya.bubman@ucsf.edu

Samuel Chow, M.B.A. – Technology Marketing Associate

Samuel joined the OTM in April 2011 and is currently a Technology Marketing Associate. In this new position for the office, Samuel will develop, implement and coordinate marketing strategies to facilitate awareness UCSF technologies by prospective licensees and facilitate the transfer of UCSF technologies to commercial entities for end-use or commercial development. Prior to joining the OTM, Samuel was with Elan Pharmaceuticals, working on early stage therapeutics in Multiple Sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease. Samuel received his M.B.A. from the University of San Francisco with emphases in Marketing and Entrepreneurship and a B.S. from the University of California, Santa Cruz in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology.

You can contact Sam at 415-353-4626 or Samuel.Chow@ucsf.edu

Dan Abel, J.D. - Patent Prosecution and Business Manager

Dan joined the OTM in March 2006, and is currently responsible for managing patent prosecution, agreement compliance, government reporting, case finances, and the operating budget. Dan earned both his B.A. (Phi Beta Kappa) and J.D. degrees from the University of Florida. Prior to joining the OTM, he worked in real estate specializing in the rehabilitation of residential and commercial property.

You can contact Dan at 415-353-4471 or Dan.Abel@ucsf.edu

Tanya Feldman - Patent Prosecution Analyst

Tanya joined the OTM in February 2010 as the Patent Prosecution Analyst, assisting on patent prosecution matters and government reporting, as well as other support projects. She holds a BA in Broadcast and Electronic Communications from San Francisco State University. Prior to joining the OTM, Tanya spent many years working in administrative capacity with non-profits and small businesses specializing in cultural exchange and education.

You can contact Tanya at 415-514-8997 or Tanya.Feldman@ucsf.edu

Bernadette Emrick - Patent Prosecution Assistant

Bernadette is the OTM Patent Prosecution Assistant, working with Dan Abel on government reporting, administration of human embryonic stem cells, and a variety of patent related issues.  She earned her undergraduate degree at San Francisco State University where she majored in art.  Prior to joining the OTM, Bernadette was the Operations Manager for UC Berkeley’s Office of Technology Licensing. 

You can contact Bernadette at 415-353-4473 or Bernadette.Emrick@ucsf.edu

Janna Huie - Accounting Assistant

Prior to joining the OTM, Janna spent 4 ½ years as an Accounting Assistant in UC’s Office of The President’s Office of Technology Transfer. Previously she spent 13 ½ years as a lead in the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Accounts Payable Department while working toward a degree in accounting. In her spare time, Janna has been a school volunteer and enjoys swimming, and spending time and travelling with her family.

You can contact Janna at 510-587-6039 or janna.huie@ucop.edu.

For Internal Users: Processing Staff Changes