Ellis to Head Intellectual Property Division at UB

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Keith Osborne Ellis, Ph.D., has been named director of the Intellectual Property Division within the University at Buffalo Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach (STOR).

Ellis comes to UB after a 31-year career in pharmacology research and technology licensing. Most recently he worked as an associate director of Technology Acquisition and Global Licensing with the Procter and Gamble Co. in Cincinnati, Ohio.

At UB, he will have direct oversight and management of the Intellectual Property Division within STOR, and also will coordinate the day-to-day operations of the Services and Commercialization and Research Venture Funding divisions.

"Dr. Ellis complements the strengths of STOR," said Robert J. Genco, D.D.S., Ph.D., UB vice provost and head of STOR. "His background and business expertise in negotiating license agreements for industry and assisting start-up businesses will be invaluable to the efforts of STOR in supporting the region's economic wealth. He brings us a much-needed industrial view of commercialization of technology."

"STOR's ability to enhance the activities of start-up biotech and life-sciences businesses will have a major impact on the Western New York region," added Genco, SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Oral Biology, where he is chair, in the UB School of Dental Medicine and the Department of Microbiology in the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Ellis noted that "UB is poised, in a unique way, to have a significant impact on the region. The university's investment in research and the diversity of the available technologies translates into real business opportunities."

Ellis was responsible at Procter and Gamble for negotiating inlicensing agreements that brought outside research, often from universities, into P&G to speed product time to market. He also has extensive experience in outlicensing agreements to transfer P&G technologies to other organizations, many of which were entrepreneurial start-up companies.

He previously was manager of new business development for P&G Pharmaceuticals, and held various research and licensing positions at Norwich Eaton Pharmaceuticals, Inc. During his time at Norwich, he also served in faculty positions at State University at New York campuses in Morrisville, Utica, Binghamton and Syracuse.

Ellis' professional memberships include the Society for Experimental Biology, American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, and the Licensing Executives Society.

He earned a bachelor degree in Biology from Heidelberg College and a doctorate in pharmacology from the University of Cincinnati.

Ellis is a resident of Clarence.