Paul Roben, PhD, has served as associate vice chancellor for innovation and commercialization at UC San Diego since June 2015.
Working with the chancellor, vice chancellor for research, and senior leaders, AVC Roben oversees the Office of Innovation and Commercialization (OIC), where he leads commercialization, industry engagement, and entrepreneurial infrastructure. Under his leadership, OIC has taken a collaborative approach, working with campus and community partners to launch new initiatives and enhance the existing ecosystem through industry-friendly efforts such as Open-Flow Innovation and Innovation Zones.

Roben has reinforced UC San Diego as a leading voice for university economic engagement. In 2017, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) designated UC San Diego as an Innovation and Economic Prosperity University, recognizing UC San Diego as a leader in promoting regional economic development. He co-chaired the APLU’s Working Group on Technology Transfer Evolution that developed an economic engagement roadmap for public universities across the country and serves on the executive committee of the Commission on Innovation, Competitiveness, and Economic Prosperity.

Previously Roben was senior director of office technology development at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, working with multiple academic institutes to develop strategic processes to drive innovation alliances, and help translate their research programs into products for patients and society. He serves on the boards of the Alliance for Southern California Innovation, CONNECT, and the UC San Diego Institute of Engineering in Medicine. While Director for Lifescience at Enterprise Ireland, he served as a member of Ireland’s Innovation Taskforce that contributed to the National Development Plan. Roben holds a PhD from Dublin City University.