Dr. Robert A. Peterson has stepped down as Director of the IC² Institute, a position he has held since September, 2013. Dr. Peterson will continue his collaboration in the Institute’s research programs in his position at the McCombs School of Business, where he holds the John T. Stuart III Centennial Chair. While the University conducts a broad-based search for a new Director, IC² Institute Deputy Director Dr. Gregory Pogue will serve as Interim Director.
Dr. Peterson’s history with the Institute goes back to its creation in 1977, when he was selected by George Kozmetsky to be a founding IC² Fellow. Before being named Director he had served for many years as Associate Director, as Principal Investigator of many of the Institute’s research programs, and for over a decade as director of the Bureau of Business Research. His extensive CV is intertwined with the publication history of the Institute: he contributed as author or editor of over 50 IC² Institute books, articles, and reports.
In a message to IC² staff and Fellows, University of Texas at Austin Vice President for Research, Dr. Daniel Jaffe, thanked Dr. Peterson for his long service to the Institute. Regarding next steps, Dr. Jaffe wrote that “a primary goal for IC² will be to integrate more closely with strong and diverse portfolio of research, entrepreneurship, and innovation activities on the UT campus while maintaining its strengths in external programs.”
Interim Director Pogue added, “The Associate Directors have enjoyed greatly our interactions with Dr. Jaffe and appreciate his vision, support and drive to re-energize the IC² Institute, have it engage more with the University and take the University with us in our international programs.”
Dr. Pogue has served the Institute as Deputy Director and Senior Research Scientist and has led research, instructional and implementation programs surrounding technology commercialization, early venture creation and entrepreneurship. He has extensive technology commercialization experience through senior positions in venture capital, entrepreneurial ventures, technology transfer offices and as a scientific innovator. He has held vice-president or above positions in six startup enterprises, has authored over 60 original scientific articles and reviews, and is an inventor on over 35 issued and pending U.S. patents.