Derek is the Assistant Vice-President, Innovation, Partnerships, and Entrepreneurship at The University of Toronto (U of T).  He supports the university’s bold innovation agenda towards fostering the next generation of Canadian entrepreneurs, developing successful corporate research partnerships, and managing the IP portfolio of the university.

U of T is a global leader in turning research into products, services, companies and jobs. In the past several years, companies emerging from U of T have secured more than $1.5 billion in investment and capital and the university is ranked among the top 10 university-managed start-up incubators in the world.

Derek held previous senior roles at Western University, he worked at a large biotechnology funding organization and also at a management consultancy firm specializing in biotechnology. He holds a PhD from U of T in biomedical research.