AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas at Austin has named Andrew (Andy) Maas as its new assistant vice president for technology transfer on the Discovery to Impact team, which works with inventors, investors, world-class creators and entrepreneurs to launch startups and collaborates with established companies to accelerate the creation of new products, services, solutions and cures.
In this role, Maas will lead the University’s research commercialization and innovation initiatives and oversee the protection and commercialization of UT intellectual property. Reporting to Mark Arnold, associate vice president of Discovery to Impact and managing director of Texas Startups, Maas will ensure that the university’s innovations move efficiently from academic research to commercial applications that benefit society.
“Andy is nationally recognized for his expertise in technology licensing and commercialization, and we are pleased to welcome a leader of his caliber to the team,” Arnold said. “We have an ambitious agenda for Discovery to Impact this year – investing early and strategically in faculty ideas and inventions that will change the world – and there is no doubt that Andy is the right person to help us lead the load.
Maas joins UT from Louisiana State University, where he most recently served as associate vice president for research, overseeing the Office of Innovation and Ecosystem Development.
Maas holds a BS from Brigham Young University, an MS from UT Austin, and a JD and LLM from the University of Akron.
During his career, Maas created an engineering startup, run within a university and research foundation, and currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) – the nonprofit leader in supporting professionals in technology commercialization. and space for research innovation. Additionally, he was the principal investigator on a $160 million National Science Foundation Engine Award focused on Louisiana’s Future Energy Use (FUEL). Maas has lectured worldwide on intellectual property valuation, economic impact, technology licensing and technology commercialization.
“It’s a homecoming for me in many ways, and it’s a privilege and a pleasure to be back on the Forty Acres,” Maas remarked. “Discovery to Impact is one of the leading research commercialization programs in the country, and I look forward to working alongside Mark and the team to advance our faculty’s groundbreaking ideas.”