Nichole Mercier is the Assistant Vice Chancellor & the Managing Director of the Office of Technology Management for Washington University in St. Louis (WashU). In this role, she sets the strategy for technology transfer and oversees all operations relating to the licensing and protection of intellectual property assets and launching new WashU startups. Dr. Mercier originally joined the Office of Technology Management in 2005 as a member of the licensing team after moving to St. Louis from her licensing role at Boston Children’s Hospital. She is also nationally recognized for her work to help women and minorities overcome barriers in technology transfer and entrepreneurship, establishing one of the earliest university programs, Women in Innovation and Technology (WIT), to engage women researchers in inventing and tech transfer activities. Dr. Mercier co-founded Equalize Inc, a non-profit entity whose national offerings empower academic women researchers to launch startups from their scientific discoveries, where she currently serves as President. She holds a PhD in Cell Biology from the University of Massachusetts Medical School and a MA and BA in biology from Clark University.