Thomas C. O'Brien recently
retired from a position as Business Program Manager in DuPont
Ventures, and, with Strategic Business Units (SBU) and DuPont
Growth Platforms. He led equity investment in external
start-ups and the subsequent licensing-in of their technology
to accelerate new business development in SBUs. Previously he
was with DuPont’s New Business Development group with
responsibility for leading external venture teams at business
schools and internal new business growth teams in the
identification and prioritization of new business
opportunities for corporate sponsorship. Concurrently, he
developed futures and ideation processes that were integrated
into corporate business growth and renewal processes. With New
Business Development, Dr. O’Brien also started new business
ventures, provided new business leadership for DuPont's Fine
and Custom Chemicals Venture, and directed the
Microfabrication/ Minichemical Systems Development Program.
Earlier with DuPont's Development Division, Dr. O'Brien was
the Strategist with responsibilities for market and technology
opportunity assessments, business development, equity options
investments, and technology transfer and out-licensing.
Prior to joining DuPont in
1983, he was a senior technology analyst in the Department of
Commerce and developed the strategy for NIST's participation
in biotechnology. Dr. O'Brien served as a COMSCI Fellow with
the House Science, Research and Technology Subcommittee in the
96th Congress chaired by the late George Brown (D-California)
with responsibilities for biotechnology, industrial
innovation, and industry-university-government relations.
At the National Institutes of
Health for over a decade, he held senior health science
leadership positions at the National Eye Institute and
National Institute for Dental Research and virology research
and vaccine regulatory testing positions at the Bureau of
Biologics.
Dr. O'Brien is an elected
Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of
Science and an elected member of AAAS’ Industrial Science and
Technology Section Committee. He served on the Governor's
Commission on Science and Technology for both New Jersey and
Delaware. He holds an AB in Biology and MS and PhD degrees
in Microbiology from the Catholic University of America. Dr.
O’Brien is the author of over 50 publications and reports.
