Spotlight on Alex Weedon

What is your role and what does it involve?

My role as Head of Business and Legal Affairs covers a broad portfolio including providing advice to the rest of the UCL Business team on intellectual property (IP) and legal issues relating to the commercialisation of research at UCL.

I head up a team that is involved in many commercial and academic agreements across UCL covering licenses, consultancy, research contracts, material transfers, confidentiality, companies and collaborations.

How long have you been at UCL and what was your previous role?

I started working at UCL seven years ago as Patent Portfolio Manager in UCL Business's predecessor UCL BioMedica. Before that I worked as a patent analyst for a weekly publication called Current Patents.

What working achievement or initiative are you most proud of?

I have been involved in many significant commercial deals such as the recent Bio Bank licence agreement with Becton Dickinson, but the most satisfying deals are those that bring UCL technologies closer to market and maximise the impact of UCL's research. I strongly believe that the real value in university research lies in the benefit that it brings to the general public.

I am currently working with colleagues on an online material transfer system which will enable scientists to access UCL materials quickly and simply. I hope that this will increase the number of citations of UCL publications worldwide as well as generate commercial interest.

What is your life like outside UCL?

I enjoy walking in the countryside, travelling and choral music. I am also interested in the interaction of intellectual property and competition law from an academic perceptive.

Link:

UCL Business