Our featured NU-RES Husky Hero for this Summer issue is Mark Saulich! Mark is the Associate Director of Commercialization at the Center for Research Innovation (CRI). He has worked at Northeastern for 14 years and starting his journey at the inception of the CRI. Mark is a prime example of a phenomenally dedicated member of the Northeastern University community. This section will showcase an interview with Mark and why he is our featured NU-RES Husky Hero for this Summer issue.
Can you tell us a little bit about your background, education, early career journey, and the field you were in before coming to Northeastern?
Sure, absolutely. I’m Boston born and raised, and I’ve been in New England my entire life. I grew up in Lexington and then attended Clark University in Worcester, MA., I originally thought I would go into teaching or counseling, but in the early 2000s, I got a job at a startup called Yet2.com, which helped companies with their open innovation practices related to in-licensing and out-licensing technologies. I spent a lot of my time helping companies to identify new technologies to solve needs within their businesses. It was a terrific experience, and I developed an immense appreciation for the ways in which industry, academia and government contribute towards fostering innovation.
After spending over a decade at Yet2.com I connected with a former colleague who was building a team for a newly established group at Northeastern called the Center for Research Innovation (CRI). As I learned more about the team and the pivotal role it played in advancing Northeastern research towards commercialization, I quickly realized that this was something that I wanted to be a part of. As I approach my twelfth year here at the CRI, I continue to be in awe of the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit of Northeastern’s faculty, staff and students and the constant drive to develop and advance new innovations forward.
Could you briefly describe your role or the roles that you’ve had at Northeastern?
In my current role as Associate Director of Commercialization at the CRI. I’m focused on helping to advance Northeastern innovations from the lab to the market. This involves working with industry to identify partnering and licensing opportunities, as well as supporting new ventures spinning out of Northeastern labs. A key part of my job, and one which I really enjoy, is working in close collaboration with faculty and researchers, providing them with the support they need as it relates to the protection and commercialization of their research.
What does a typical day on the job look like for you?
I’m not sure that there really is a “typical day”, which is something I love about this job. Every day brings something new. In terms of consistencies of the job, most days I’m interacting with faculty to discuss a range of topics, from new research to IP related matters, to industry opportunities. Most days I’m also speaking with Northeastern spinouts, both those that have already licensed Northeastern IP, and those that are pursuing a license. I’m also often coordinating with colleagues from within the CRI and across departments to resolve intellectual property matters related to industry and government funding agreements.
What’s something you’re proud of while working at Northeastern? Do you believe your work tends to go unnoticed by the broader campus or NU-RES community?
I’m definitely proud of the work our team has done over the years to help maximize the impact of Northeastern research. Programs like the CRI’s Spark Fund have aided our faculty in their efforts to advance their technology to later stages of development. Our Ignite program is providing key resources and support to Northeastern entrepreneurs and spinouts across the various stages of their company’s life cycle. We have built and continue to build new programs and initiatives to support the Northeastern research and entrepreneurial community. I don’t think that our work goes unnoticed by the broader NU community, but at the same time, I think folks are sometimes surprised at the breadth of what the CRI does. Part of it goes to making sure that we are reaching as large an audience as possible. To that end, our Marketing and Programs teams have done an excellent job in further promoting the CRI across the entire Northeastern ecosystem so that people understand what we do, the services we provide, and how we can help them.
How would you describe the overall impact that individual research entities, including NU-RES, have brought to the University? What does it mean to you to be working within the research community?
It’s one of the fun parts of the job, being part of the larger research community all working towards a shared goal. We get the opportunity to work closely with NU-RES on many industry and government related opportunities and agreements and really appreciate their collaborative approach. It has also been amazing to see the growth in research funding dollars over the years I’ve been here. I’ve been incredibly impressed with NU-RES’s ability to manage all of the aspects of the ever-growing pipeline of research awards.
Do you have any hobbies, interests, or personal facts about you that you’d like your colleagues at Northeastern to know?
I love traveling and recently returned from trips to Italy and Amsterdam. I also enjoy live music and try to catch a concert whenever possible. One hobby I picked up during the pandemic is pizza making. I became somewhat obsessed with it and have been making pizza and going on pizza pilgrimages for the last four or five years. I had no idea that there were so many variables that go into making a great dough. You wouldn’t think math and science would be major ingredients for pizza, but they are. I may need to enlist an NU research team to help me perfect mine.