Dr. Eugene Cochran is a Group Leader, Technology Commercialization at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) focus is on leading the Technology Commercialization Group responsible for intellectual property (IP) management, IP agreements including licensing, and in-reach and out-reach activities related to technology commercialization.
Cochran has over thirty-two years experience in the field of technology transfer and early-stage venture development. Early in his career, he served as a Director within the Commercialization Group of Research Corporation Technologies (RCT). In this position, Cochran was responsible for the evaluation and commercialization of inventions in several fields including: medical devices, biotechnology, physics, chemistry, materials, and instrumentation. He gained considerable exposure to a broad range of technologies and markets, demonstrating considerable success in licensing patents and starting, early-stage venture companies.
Mid-career, Cochran served as a Sr. Licensing Associate at the University of Arizona’s Office For Technology Transfer. While in that position Cochran provided assistance to the faculty in perfecting patent rights, and helping to commercialize university based inventions. Also at the UA, he was an Administrative Director, in a large NSF Engineering Research Center (ERC), the Center for Integrated Access Networks (CIAN). As the Administrative Director, he assisted the Director in the management of an $18.5M multi institution budget.
Cochran holds a PhD in Optical Sciences, as well as MBA in Accounting and Finance. Prior to becoming involved technology commercialization he held past technical science staff positions at IBM, Perkin-Elmer, GCA-Tropel, and WYKO and has over eight years experience in the design and development of optical systems.
He is a senior member or IEEE and Optica (fka OSA), and member of AUTM, LES and FLC.
