December
2008
|
||||
|
||||
After years spent in the laboratory working in the field of nanotechnology, Dr. Emmanuelle Schuler has turned her attention to helping UH faculty find necessary funding for their own research. 
Emmanuelle Schuler
Director of the Center for Industrial Partnerships
As the new director of the Center for Industrial Partnerships at the University of Houston, Schuler helps pair faculty with companies who are interested in, and can help support, their specialized research.
“I am the faculty broker,” Schuler said. “The end goal is to partner with industry to help faculty gain some more funds for their research and help them build new relationships.”
Born and raised in France, Schuler received her education in Montreal, Canada, where she earned her Ph.D. in chemistry at McGill University. After several years of post-doctoral work, researching nanotechnology in Copenhagen, Schuler moved to Houston to work with Dr. Richard Smalley, a Rice University professor and 1996 Nobel Laureate in chemistry.
With Smalley, Schuler began her first work outside of the laboratory, concentrating on research into scientific policy and looking at ways to make sure the U.S. remains competitive in science and engineering in the future.
In 2005, Schuler moved to the University of Houston where she worked in the university’s commercialization office. In September, she was appointed director of the CIP.
In her new position, Schuler keeps abreast of faculty and their research and constantly looks for industry partners who might be interested in helping to fund that work. She also helps negotiate licensing agreements for the more than 300 patents held by UH.
“Each faculty member is doing very specialized research,” she said. “I work with industry to see what they want and see where the research might fit in.”
Schuler’s previous experience in the laboratory gives her a comfort level in understanding and explaining to others the work done by faculty. She enjoys hearing about the latest trends in a number of different fields and helping to find a real world application for the research.
“I know it’s hard. You dedicate your life to the pursuit of research,” Schuler said. “My reward is making them (faculty) happy.”
