Spokane–Terri L. Butler, Ph.D., has joined WSU as technology commercialization manager in the Office of Intellectual Property Administration, a division of the university’s Office of Research.
In this newly created position, Butler will focus her efforts on the commercialization of WSU developed technologies in Spokane, including licensing, linking Spokane-based commercial enterprises to WSU research programs, and helping WSU faculty disclose and commercialize technologies.
The WSU Spokane campus will serve as Butler’s home base. WSU Spokane houses a number of research units, including the Applied Sciences Laboratory, Health Research and Education Center, Sleep and Performance Research Center, and Washington Institute for Mental Illness Research and Training.
Focusing on applied research that complements the basic science investigations performed by their colleagues at the Pullman campus, these units contribute to the university’s efforts to seek new knowledge that improves health and quality of life, and expend more than $7 million each year on grant-funded research.
“We’re very pleased to have Terri on staff,” said Dennis Dyck, vice chancellor for research at WSU Spokane, adding that “Terri’s position signifies the prominence and commercial promise of the research being conducted in Spokane.”
Butler brings to the position more than 20 years of experience, both in academia and in industry. Starting out in neurobiology research at the University of Chicago, she subsequently held positions in pharmaceutical sales; biotechnology research; polymer, coating, and bioreactor manufacturing; and pharmaceutical/nutritional product development. She has an impressive track record as a scientist whose work translates into commercial applications, holding 12 U.S. patents in pharmaceutical/nutritional products and polymer processing.
“Terri has the perfect background to enhance the linkage between Pullman and Spokane, helping to ensure that WSU-developed technologies will have a significant impact on the Inland Northwest,” said Jim Petersen, WSU’s vice provost for research.
Butler holds a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota, as well as a B.S. in biology from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota.
A land-grant university founded in 1890, WSU is widely known for its world-class research. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifications has named the university as one of just 95 public and private research universities with very high research activity. In addition, U.S. News & World Report ranks WSU as one of the top public research universities in the nation.
WSU Spokane is the urban campus of WSU and features advanced studies and research in health sciences and health professions, the design disciplines, education, social and policy sciences, and science and technology.
