New Licensing Associate Joins Technology Ventures to Support U of A Innovators

Technology Ventures is pleased to welcome Anuradha "Anu" Bhukel as its new licensing associate, where she will help advance the University of Arkansas' growing innovation and commercialization efforts. Bhukel brings a deep passion for supporting researchers and a strong track record at the intersection of scientific discovery, intellectual property and technology transfer.

In her new role, Bhukel will partner with inventors across campus to evaluate emerging technologies, guide intellectual property and protection strategies, and identify promising pathways for commercialization. By working closely with faculty, students and external collaborators, she will help ensure that university discoveries continue to evolve into impactful products, services and startups that strengthen Arkansas' innovation economy.

Bhukel is a USPTO-registered patent agent and Ph.D.-trained scientist with extensive research experience from Freie Universität Berlin and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Janelia Research Campus. She has also developed significant hands-on expertise in technology transfer through roles with HHMI's internal technology transfer team and University of California San Franciso's Innovation Ventures, where she contributed to patent landscape analyses, invention evaluation and early-stage patent strategy. Her scientific accomplishments include publications in leading journals such as Neuron and co-inventorship on two issued patents.

Bhukel's position supports the objectives of the Arkansas Nexus for Excellence in Technology, Workforce, Outreach and Research Knowledge, or AR-NETWORK, an NSF EPSCoR E-CORE initiative designed to strengthen the state's research and innovation ecosystem. The U of A co-leads AR-NETWORK's Economic Development Core, which connects academic research with industry needs through initiatives such as Needs Finding Workshops, Expanded Commercialization Retreats and policy support for use-inspired research aimed at driving economic growth and expanding commercialization capacity statewide.

"We are excited to welcome Anu to the University of Arkansas and to Technology Ventures," said David Hinton, associate vice chancellor for Research & Innovation and executive director of Technology Ventures. "Her strong scientific background, expertise in intellectual property and commitment to working alongside inventors will be instrumental as we continue to facilitate translation of university research into products and solutions that drive impact for Arkansas and beyond."

"I'm excited to be here at the University of Arkansas and join the Technology Ventures team! After years of diving deep into research at places like Freie Universität Berlin and HHMI-Janelia and then getting hooked on the world of patents and tech transfer at HHMI-Janelia and UCSF, I can't wait to roll up my sleeves and work hand-in-hand with faculty, students and inventors right here on campus. My goal is simple: help protect those brilliant ideas and get them out into the world where they can make a difference, especially as we build Arkansas' innovation future together through things like AR-NETWORK," Bhukel said.

Technology Ventures is proud to welcome Bhukel to the U of A and looks forward to the expertise, energy and perspective she will bring to the campus innovation community.