Dr. Gretchen Fougere serves as the Sr. Director of Business Development – Commercialization. With responsibility for a portfolio of breakthrough, bio-inspired technologies in the areas of diagnostics, therapeutics, and devices, Dr. Fougere is responsible for identifying and launching licensing partnerships and new-venture spinouts that yield rapid commercialization and patient and economic impact. She leads business development for strategic initiatives and cross-disciplinary innovations that enable Biopharma, such as development of Ultrasensitive Assays and Diagnostics, Human-Based In Vitro Models (e.g., 3D Organ Engineering, Organ Chips, and Organoids). She also contributes to the building of the Diagnostics for Human and Planetary Health Platform and Women’s Health Catalyst. Working closely with technology development and researchers, she has been instrumental in securing both sponsored research agreements with industry and philanthropic funding, from Wellcome Leap and one of the highly competitive contracts from ARPA-H Sprint for Women’s Health, among others.
Previous roles include Associate Dean at the Boston University College of Engineering, leadership of the business development team at another research university (focused on AI/ML in computational medicine), and senior operating and Board roles at nonprofits. Earlier technical roles include leadership of an advanced R&D team in energy systems and multidisciplinary design and development roles in aerospace. Dr. Fougere received her Ph.D. in materials science/nanotechnology from Northwestern University and dual bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering and biomedical engineering from Vanderbilt University. She was recognized by Mass High Tech as a Woman to Watch and was elected to Sigma Xi.