FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – David Hinton has been appointed associate director of Technology Ventures, a role that will strengthen support available to faculty and students as their research at the University of Arkansas leads to commercial products.

Technology Ventures commercializes research and helps university researchers identify, protect, license and commercialize intellectual property developed from their research and discoveries. The office manages invention disclosures, patent applications and license agreements for U of A faculty, staff and students. The office is a joint effort of the Office of Economic Development and the Office of Research and Innovation.

Hinton joined the University of Arkansas on Aug. 20 after a decade as a researcher at the Mayo Clinic and an intellectual property manager at the University of South Alabama.

Hinton has a doctorate in neurobiology from the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, where he focused on pharmacology, neuroscience and personalized medicine. He is currently completing a Master of Business Administration degree.

“Many technologies can have multiple applications in diverse fields, and I take pride in finding creative uses for our faculty inventions; this broadens the market potential of these discoveries,” Hinton said.

A key focus for Hinton will be working with researchers to know when and how to disclose discoveries, as well as how those discoveries fit within the broader market landscape. Hinton stresses the importance of filing an invention disclosure before publishing novel ideas. If a discovery has commercial potential, Hinton will support faculty through the patent and commercialization process. 

“Dr. Hinton will work with internal and external constituents as we work to ramp up our infrastructure and expand commercialization opportunities at the University of Arkansas,” said Stacy Leeds, vice chancellor for economic development. “With his background and prior successes, he is poised to be an excellent resource to support U of A faculty and streamline many of our processes."

Hinton’s office is located in the Arkansas Research and Technology Park’s Innovation Center, room 107. He can be reached at 575-5806.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.