Vanderbilt Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization (CTTC) welcomes Virinchi Juttukonda as a Senior Licensing Officer. Virinchi has a strong background in computer engineering from Vanderbilt University’s School of Engineering, a master’s in information management from the University of Maryland, and a decade of experience from Maryland’s technology transfer team. He will focus on licensing software and AI-related technologies, an increased emphasis for the office, while collaborating closely with Vanderbilt’s new College of Connected Computing.
Virinchi’s career at the University of Maryland involved assessing technologies and developing relationships with faculty spanning diverse fields, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and the humanities. With increased interest in these areas at Vanderbilt, Virinchi aims to leverage his experience to forge strong relationships with faculty and help drive their innovations to the marketplace.
Chris Harris, Executive Director of Licensing, expressed his enthusiasm, “We’re delighted to have Virinchi back at Vanderbilt; he’s a great addition to our team. Not only does he bring his years of experience and strong technical background in an area of great need for us, but also, he knows Vanderbilt and has a built-in network here already.”
Merging Computer Engineering and Digital Technologies Expertise
Virinchi was an undergraduate student intern at CTTC, where he received hands-on experience in technology transfer. He states, “As a student, I didn't know that tech transfer even existed, so I enjoyed learning about this entirely new and different function that exists outside of teaching and research. After I graduated, this internship opened another career path for me.”
Virinchi’s journey resonates with the legacy of CTTC’s internship program, which has flourished for over a decade and has supported more than 100 interns. The program has become popular among Vanderbilt graduate students seeking alternative career pathways, given that technology transfer merges scientific knowledge with business and legal considerations.
Virinchi shares advice for early career technology transfer professionals: “First, developing soft skills is key. People who work in tech transfer typically have advanced degrees, so understanding how technologies work is something that they're already good at. However, a lot of this work depends on understanding and working well with others, whether it’s faculty, colleagues in the office, or attorneys that you're negotiating with.” He continues, “Second, keep developing your network. Marketing technologies is extremely important in this job, so networking with people that you can ask for introductions or market feedback is extremely valuable.”
Building the Next Generation of Technology Transfer Professionals
Technology transfer has increasingly become a pathway for PhDs seeking alternative career opportunities beyond traditional academic roles, and Vanderbilt CTTC’s Internship Program continues to attract graduate students from various disciplines, including Biomedical Engineering, Microbiology and Immunology, Biological and Biomedical Sciences, and Neuroscience.
The program equips students with hands-on experience in technology transfer, enhancing their skills in evaluating inventions, conducting market research, and developing commercialization strategies in a dynamic, interdisciplinary environment.
Two other current CTTC team members, Phil Swaney, Licensing and Strategic Initiatives Manager, and Carlos Detrés-Román, Licensing Analyst, both began their journeys as interns at CTTC during their graduate studies. Phil interned in 2016 while pursuing his graduate work at Vanderbilt's Medical Engineering and Discovery Lab under the guidance of Dr. Robert J. Webster III. Meanwhile, Carlos, who completed his Ph.D. in Cancer Biology in 2023, also honed his skills through an internship at CTTC. In addition, several other CTTC team members came through other internship programs from other Technology Transfer institutions around the nation, a testament to the importance of investing in the next generation of professionals in the field.