Bryn Rees
Associate Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation
LEADERSHIP
Bryn is Associate vice chancellor for research and innovation and managing director of Venture Partners at ²ÊÃñ±¦µä. Together with his team, he works with university researchers and the extended innovation ecosystem to commercialize innovations created at the ²ÊÃñ±¦µä, Colorado Springs and Denver (Physical Sciences) campuses. Bryn oversees all Venture Partners functions, including entrepreneurship training and mentorship, programming and partnership in the NSF I-Corps Hub: West Region, Ascent Deep Tech Accelerator, Lab Venture Challenge and other founder funding opportunities, intellectual property management, licensing and strategic partnerships. Venture Partners also directly supports larger campus goals of innovation, positive societal impact and faculty and student development.
Bryn is a Co-Principal Investigator in the , a regional economic development and innovation initiative funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The Engine builds innovative solutions, ventures and partnerships that support communities to monitor, mitigate and adapt to climate change.
Within the larger Colorado community, Bryn serves on the Investment Advisory Board of the Buff Venture Fund, the board of the , and the Boulder Subcommittee of the board.
Bryn has been with CU since 2009 and prior to that was with the industry liaison office at the . He began his career in research innovation in the private sector, managing disease genetics and pharmacogenetics research at a leading pharmaceutical company. He holds an undergraduate degree in biochemistry from the , a master's in biotechnology from the , and a second master’s degree in counseling psychology.