CSU Ventures Names New Associate Vice President

Note to Reporters: A photo of Denichiro “Denny” Otsuga is available with the news release at http://news.colostate.edu.

Denichiro “Denny” Otsuga has been named the new associate vice president of CSU Ventures, a non-profit corporation dedicated to technology transfer and commercialization for Colorado State University.

Otsuga has more than 10 years of technology transfer and commercialization experience translating research results to create positive impacts on society. He worked in university and industry technology transfer activities in California and Utah, and spent three years as the founding director at the Technology Transfer Office at South Dakota State University, where he helped increase licensing revenue by 250 percent and industry-sponsored research awards by 540 percent. Most recently, Otsuga was the executive director of the Technology Transfer Office at the University of Kentucky.

“With 10 years of combined experience in technology acquisition for industry and technology commercialization leadership in academia, Denny is a significant addition to the CSU Ventures team and CSU. In particular, his technical expertise and background in molecular biology, plant sciences, agriculture and biofuels are major assets,” said Todd Headley, president of CSU Ventures.

“His experience and vision in technology commercialization leadership will further strengthen CSU Ventures in its mission to support and transfer CSU innovations into the marketplace.”

Otsuga received his scientific training in plant molecular genetics and earned his doctorate at the University of Utah. He obtained industry experience from a biofuel feedstock development biotechnology company in the Los Angeles area, where he was responsible for managing relationships with universities through sponsored research and technology license agreements.

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