Jaci is the Chief Operating Officer at Oxford University Innovation. In this role, she leads four teams: the Licensing & Ventures team, which identifies, protects, manages, and commercialises the University’s Intellectual Property; the Consulting Services team, which connects organisations with Oxford expertise; and the Operations team, which provides support and tools to enable sparks to happen.
Previously, Jaci was Head of Research Commercialisation and Investment at the University of Bristol, managing the team that commercialised Bristol’s technologies across a wide range of sectors. Prior to this, she led innovation activities at Nelson Mandela University and the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, including establishing and managing a technology transfer office, overseeing contract research and consultancy functions, establishing an incubator, and serving in both non-executive and executive roles on the boards of start-up and spinout companies.
Prior to involvement in the higher education sector, Jaci worked in industry and in a contract research organisation, mostly focused on food science and bioengineering. She holds a BScEng and MScEng (by research) in Chemical Engineering from the University of Natal and an MBA from the University of Pretoria. She was previously the president of the Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association and a Council member of the Alliance of Technology Transfer Professionals.
