David Sims
Licensing Associate, Commercialization
David Sims is a Licensing Associate in the Partnerships Directorate at the United States Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) which is operated and managed by UT-Battelle, LLC. David is responsible for portfolio management and licensing of UT-Battelle’s intellectual property associated with the laboratory’s work in energy, transportation, and energy efficiency. He also serves as supervisor for the directorate’s commercialization analyst team—a group of students from the University of Tennessee’s full-time MBA program.
David joined ORNL with many years of experience in the private sector specific to small business operations. His prior roles include job foreman, retail assistant manager, marketing research project manager, treasurer, and owner. Similarly, he has several years of community service as an active member and leader in local civic, religious, and government organizations. Prior to his current appointment, David served as an intern on the directorate’s analyst team while attending graduate school at the University of Tennessee. Thereafter, he served as analyst and team project manager under an ORNL subcontract. He earned a Master of Science in Information Science from UT, specializing in information management specific to science and technology. He has a related interest in knowledge management, primarily in the conversion of intellectual efforts into standardized processes. David has a diverse undergraduate background, including work in communication, marketing, accounting, anthropology, and geology. He is a member of the Association of University Technology Managers.