Researcher Liaison Program Manager

The Researcher Liaison Program Manager is responsible for leading meaningful and sustained engagement with the community of researchers at Notre Dame on behalf of the IDEA Center, with a primary portfolio in the Colleges of Science and the College of Engineering. Serving as the primary point of contact for faculty in chemistry, biology, and engineering disciplines, helping researchers identify patentable subject matter, understand commercialization pathways, and engage effectively with the University’s technology transfer process.

A key component of this position is the creation of trusted, ongoing relationships with faculty, postdocs, and graduate researchers, which manifests in (1) strong, positive relationships between the IDEA Center and the broader Notre Dame research community, and (2) invention disclosures that reflect the quality, breadth, and impact of research occurring at the University.

The Researcher Liaison Program Manager reports to the Researcher Liaison Manager and collaborates closely with other IDEA Center staff across IP, contracts, technology development, and business development functions to ensure a coordinated and high-quality researcher experience.

Supervise and mentor interns or analysts supporting the Researcher Liaison program, including directing projects related to commercialization readiness, market analysis, and follow-on diligence for invention disclosures.

In order to be successful, the Researcher Liaison Program Manager must be able to build trusted relationships and communicate effectively with a diverse group of faculty and researchers. This position will be regularly available to meet with research teams and engage on matters those teams find relevant and interesting, providing information and advice whenever possible. This effort will require one-on-one, one-to-many, and ad hoc meetings with a consistent presence in faculty department offices and research labs, centers, and institutes.

The Researcher Liaison Program Manager will also engage in project and portfolio management for specific technologies in order to identify and further develop research with potential to serve as the basis of invention disclosures and commercialization opportunities. The Researcher Liaison Program Manager must be business literate, understand critical intellectual property issues (including patentability considerations), and the core tenets of a business model;

and apply this knowledge to the development of the research portfolio which they manage.

The Researcher Liaison Program Manager has a contextual appreciation for typical academic workflow and will work within that framework to identify when and how a project could be developed to impact the market.

The Researcher Liaison Program Manager can independently identify emerging trends, can clearly communicate those trends, and can connect those ideas to efforts across campus. It is critical that the Researcher Liaison Program Manager is capable of understanding and translating a broad range of technically complex, deep‑tech research into relevant commercial opportunities and can pick the fundamental, novel technology out of project reports and invention disclosures.

This role requires a significant (3+ days/week) on-campus presence.

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• Primary relationship manager for assigned researchers in the Colleges of Science and Engineering, including faculty in chemistry, biology, aerospace and mechanical engineering, and chemical and biological engineering. Be seen as the go‑to person for assigned researchers to contact for information about their disclosures.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to faculty on what constitutes patentable subject matter, including early‑stage assessment of novelty, inventorship, and potential statutory issues (e.g., 35 U.S.C. §§ 101, 102, 103), in collaboration with the IP team.
• Provide training and guidance to assigned researchers on IP policies, disclosure requirements, and best practices related to patenting, commercialization, and industry engagement.
• R…