Associate Vice President for Research and Executive Director, Innovation Gateway at University of Georgia

Derek Eberhart is Associate Vice President for Research and Executive Director of Innovation Gateway at the University of Georgia (UGA).  Innovation Gateway encompasses UGA’s intellectual property licensing and startup company programs to help streamline the path from the lab to the marketplace ensuring that UGA research discoveries reach their full potential for public benefit. UGA’s commercialization program has helped facilitate the generation of more than 825 products and 200 startup companies based on UGA research.

Prior to joining UGA, Derek worked in the biopharma industry most recently as Director of Alliance and Portfolio Management at Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, where he managed several of Lexicon's drug discovery partnerships, including alliances with pharmaceutical and biotech companies as well as collaborations with federal and non-profit entities. He is active in the Georgia innovation community, including serving on the Georgia Bio Board of Directors and the Board of the Georgia Intellectual Property Alliance.

Derek received his bachelor's and master's degrees from UGA.  He earned his PhD in genetics and molecular biology at Emory University before serving as an American Cancer Society postdoctoral fellow at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.