Heather Walsh Joins Polsky Center as Assistant Vice President for Technology Ventures

Heather Walsh joins the Polsky Center as the Assistant Vice President for Technology Ventures beginning July 14.

A seasoned leader in innovation and commercialization, Heather brings a wealth of experience across academia, industry, and the startup ecosystem. She joins the Polsky Center after spending several years in leadership roles at Astellas, mHUB, and Baxter, where she worked at the intersection of research, business development, and strategic partnerships to drive early-stage innovation.

Heather is also deeply familiar with the University of Chicago, having previously spent nearly a decade at the Polsky Center helping to build the University’s technology commercialization pipeline, launch new internship and funding programs, and deepen industry engagement. She also completed a PhD in Neurobiology, Pharmacology, and Cell Physiology from the University.

We sat down with Heather to learn more about her background, the expertise she brings to the role, and what excites her about the future of the Polsky Center.

How has your background helped prepare you for this role?

I have worked in early-stage technology commercialization from many different angles at this point so I have a unique perspective built from experience working with different stakeholders across multiple sectors. I have seen, for instance, how universities protect and build value in their assets, how large companies diligence potential transactions, how startup companies develop novel products, and how innovative new approaches can be fostered within a global pharmaceutical company. I aim to leverage these capabilities and experiences to further the mission of the University of Chicago to advance their innovative ideas and technologies.

What excites you most about your new position — and about entrepreneurship and innovation in general?

I’m excited to return to the Polsky Center because this is a pivotal moment in the University of Chicago’s history. The University has an unprecedented opportunity to build upon the momentum on the research side to make an even more significant impact in the world. It has further established itself as a world-class, cutting-edge destination for research in the biological and physical sciences and has become a pioneer in new areas within molecular engineering, quantum, and computer science. At this moment, the leadership of the University and the faculty across campus are all aligned in the effort to transform their capabilities in commercialization and the Polsky Center is ready to rise to this challenge.

Entrepreneurship and innovation are exciting to me because this work is driven by passionate individuals who want to solve problems and make a difference in the world.

What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned throughout your career?

Throughout my career, I have learned the transformative value of relationships as all of my accomplishments have been achieved through strong collaborations with internal and external teams. The value I have delivered to my organizations has depended on the partnership of those team members I have been lucky enough to work with. My external relationships, in some cases, have spanned many years and multiple roles and I am so grateful to these connections for how they have generously lent their time, expertise, and networks to my own efforts and I hope I have added value to their work as well.

What keeps you up at night?

As a native Chicagoan, I am deeply committed to ensuring that Chicago is surrounded by an ecosystem that will leverage the unique capabilities, expertise, and resources in the region to facilitate the development of new technologies and companies. What keeps me up at night is thinking about how best to contribute to building for this future while filling the gaps we need to fill now in terms of talent, capital, and infrastructure.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I love spending time with my family, watching my kids play sports and traveling with them to new places. I also enjoy paddleboarding and trying out new cocktail recipes.