Article by Ananya Huria and Sangeetha Shivaji
Staton Noel took the helm of the UNCG Office of Innovation Commercialization (OIC) last month. The new director will support and facilitate innovation by UNCG faculty, staff, and students, helping them protect intellectual property, commercialize discoveries, and find research support through corporate sponsors.
Noel plans to place special emphasis on “collaboration and teamwork amongst UNCG faculty and staff as a way to increase the value of their innovations to external partners.”
The OIC director loves “turning ideas into reality, with the goal of making products and services that improve people’s lives.” He developed this passion over 20 years working for GlaxoSmithKline, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. During his career at GSK, Noel proposed and led novel drug discovery projects, discovered and published on a novel gene, and collaborated with university labs and start-up companies.
What he took from these experiences? Noel now knows, “the process of transforming an idea to a product is full of twists and turns and takes interdisciplinary skills, excellent teamwork, flexibility, financial resources, and just plain persistence.”
Noel graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelors in Biochemistry. After leaving the world of big pharma, he charted a new course as a UNCG Vision student, completing a dual degree (MBA and MS) in Gerontology.
In January 2013, Noel co-founded Panacea Solutions, a start-up company in a Research Triangle Park technology incubator. Noel joined UNCG’s OIC in 2011 as a Licensing Assistant and then served as a Marketing and Licensing Associate before taking on his current role of Director.
Article author Ananya Huria is a Media and Communication Intern with the UNCG Office of Research and Economic Development, where she helps promote UNCG research stories and impact to campus and external audiences. Ananya is a senior at UNCG, studying international business and entrepreneurship. Her background in PR and Marketing lead her to her current position.
