LSU’s Andrew Maas named chair of global nonprofit AUTM

BATON ROUGE – Andrew J. Maas, associate vice president for research overseeing the LSU Office of Innovation & Ecosystem Development, has been named board chair of AUTM, a global nonprofit whose members support the commercialization of academic research.

Maas has more than 16 years of experience in technology licensing and commercialization. He succeeds Almesha L. Campbell, PhD, assistant vice president for research and economic development at Jackson State University. Maas’s term as chair ends in February 2025.

“It’s an honor to be selected, and I’m grateful to AUTM’s board for giving me the opportunity to advance the organization’s goals,” said Maas, who will focus his tenure on expanding tech transfer educational offerings. “This year, we are committed to helping AUTM professionals get the training and education needed in a dynamic profession, when, where, and how they want it.”  

“Andy has been a powerful and thoughtful voice on the board,” said AUTM CEO Stephen J. Susalka, PhD. “As the Principal Investigator for a $160M Engines Type 2 grant, Andy is poised at the nexus between commercializing innovations and their regional, societal and economic development impact. The board will be well served with him at the helm.” 

“Andy has been a key to LSU's successful efforts to advance the commercialization and technology transfer of the useful solutions that have been discovered and developed by our student and faculty inventors for people and industry everywhere,” said Robert Twilley, LSU vice president of research and economic development. “The innovations that emerge from research universities can have direct impact on the world."

At LSU, Maas’s duties include overseeing the Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization, helping LSU researchers turn their ideas into meaningful products and businesses; LSU Innovation Park, a business incubator with approximately 40 tech startups as tenants; and the Small Business Development Centers, a state and federally funded Louisiana network to support small businesses. Maas led the effort that resulted in the National Science Foundation making LSU an Innovation Corps site in 2016 and part of the newly established I-Corps Southwest Regional hub in late 2022. I-Corps teaches faculty members how to identify market needs for their research through customer discovery and modify their research to meet those needs.

Maas also spearheaded Future Use of Energy in Louisiana, a statewide effort of more than 50 public and private partners that won the largest and most competitive grant ever awarded by the U.S. National Science Foundation – up to $160 million over 10 years. The NSF grant will support Louisiana’s energy industry, create jobs in the energy sector, develop innovative solutions to energy challenges and help train the world’s energy workforce.

About AUTM

AUTM is the nonprofit leader in efforts to educate, promote and inspire professionals to support the development of academic research that changes the world and drives innovation forward. Our community is composed of more than 3,000 members who work in more than 800 universities, research centers, hospitals, businesses and government organizations around the globe. To learn more about AUTM, visit www.autm.net.

About LSU Innovation

LSU Innovation unites the university’s innovation and commercialization resources under one office, maximizing LSU's impact on the intellectual, economic, and social development of Louisiana and beyond. LSU Innovation focuses on establishing, developing, and growing technology-based startup companies. LSU Innovation oversees LSU Innovation Park, a 200-acre business incubator that fosters early-stage tech companies, and the Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization, which streamlines the process of evaluating, protecting, and licensing intellectual property created by LSU researchers. LSU Innovation serves as the host organization for the Louisiana Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network which oversees all SBDC services across the state as well as the LSU SBDC, which provides free consulting services to small businesses across the state. LSU Innovation helps Louisiana technology companies apply for seed funding through the federal Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer grant programs. LSU Innovation educates faculty, students, and the community on entrepreneurial principles through the National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program which trains innovators to consider the market opportunities for pressing scientific questions, leading to increased funding state and federal grant programs as well as potential industry partners and licensees.