Jane Garrity

It’s a good thing Jane has savvy project management skills, because as director of strategic initiatives for the Office of the Vice President for Research, she puts those skills to good use every day.

Jane leads the Grants Hub and the Office of the Vice President for Research’s communications and training teams. She also works with leadership to develop and implement strategic plans to better serve Iowa State researchers and the university community as a whole.

Jane is no stranger to university research. Originally trained as a microbiologist, she spent 10 years in technology transfer at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, the University of Delaware and, most recently, the University of Iowa. In her increasingly senior roles at these universities, Jane helped researchers patent their inventions and develop those technologies to meet industry needs. She also connected researchers with corporate partners, negotiated license agreements and provided entrepreneurial education and support to assist university faculty and students with company start-ups. Jane also served on the board of directors for the Iowa Biotech Association.

Jane has a bachelor’s degree in biology from California Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She also is a registered U.S. patent agent and a registered technology transfer professional.

What part of your job would you continue to do even if you didn’t get paid for it?

“I love learning about the variety of innovative research on campus and connecting those researchers with people and resources that they may not be familiar with.”

Jane can help with: Strategic planning, research development, and communicating Iowa State research and training opportunities.