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Brent Watts - Operations Manager
Brent has thirteen years of experience spanning across industry, government and research sectors. Prior to joining bluebox, he consulted to a portfolio of technology based companies on strategic planning and capital raising. Brent also held positions with the Australian Government's AusIndustry division, where he managed the delivery of a range of innovation funding programs, and with the Global Private Equity division of Queensland Investment Corporation.
Brent's career has also included engineering roles in research and development with RWTH in Europe, design and planning with Burchill Partners VDM and John Wilson & Partners (now WorleyParsons), and construction and project management with Golding Contractors. He holds a BEng with first class honours from Central Queensland University, a MEngSc and MBA from Queensland University of Technology, and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
At bluebox Brent holds the position of Operations Manager, which in which he oversees company operations and leads the commercialisation of technologies developed in the physical and life sciences.
Dr Denise Hodge - Relationship Manager
Denise brings a variety of experience in molecular biology research, scientific policy, and intellectual property law to her role at bluebox. On the completion of her PhD studying the role of glycosyltransferases in Arabidopsis, Denise took the position of Science and Society Strategy Officer within the University of York to provide a strategy for improving the public perception of science. After travelling to Australia in 2004, Denise then held a Post-Doctoral Research Officer role researching the regulation of globin gene expression at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) located at the University of Queensland.
Leading on from this position, Denise worked at a major Australian patent and trade mark attorney firm and gained four years experience training in many aspects of intellectual property law, particularly in the field of biotechnology. Denise has since completed a Masters of Industrial Property at the University of Technology Sydney, and is qualified and registered as an Australian patent and trade mark attorney.
At bluebox Denise is the relationship manager for life sciences at QUT and is responsible for providing commercialisation support for this sector including managing commercial contracts within the following IHBI domains: Cells & Tissue, Medical Device and Vision Improvement.
Hunter Walkenhorst - Commercialisation Manager
With a background in E-commerce and E-business, Hunter has over a decade of experience spanning industry, government, research, and academic sectors. Before joining bluebox, his career has included consulting roles for a global management consulting company in the disciplines of process analysis and development, project management and design with a leading national Internet development and design firm, and teaching and learning positions within academia.
Hunter holds a BIT in E-commerce, with first class honours, is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and is currently in the final stages of acquiring his PhD, specialising in the field of electricity price modelling, both from the Queensland University of Technology.
At bluebox Hunter is a commercialisation manager in the physical sciences team, which provides commercialisation support for technologies developed in the physical sciences.
Dr Ylva Strandberg Lutzow - Commercialisation Manager
Ylva joins bluebox with fifteen years of experience in the life sciences area. After completing her PhD in Biochemistry and Cell Biology studying the role of sialyltransferases during cancer, Ylva worked on a collaborative project at the University of Queensland's Centre for Drug Design and Development (3D Centre). This project, in partnership with biotechnology firm Alchemia, focused on the development of novel technologies for the production of a new class of carbohydrate-based molecules. Leading on from this position, Ylva held Post Doctoral Fellow and Research Scientist positions at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). During Ylva’s time with the CSIRO, she was a member of the CRC for Innovative Dairy Products studying genes and proteins associated with disease resistance. Her fields of expertise include cell and molecular biology, protein biochemistry, immunology and bioinformatics.
To broaden her experience, Ylva took up a position with a major Australian patent and trade mark attorney firm and gained three years experience training in many aspects of intellectual property law, primarily in the field of biotechnology. Ylva has completed a Masters of Industrial Property at the University of Technology Sydney, and is qualified and registered as an Australian patent and trade marks attorney.
At bluebox Ylva is a commercialisation manager in the life sciences team, which provides commercialisation support for technologies developed in the life sciences area.
Helen Henderson - Administration Assistant
Helen has a diverse background, having undertaken both financial and administrative roles in Australia and abroad. Helen spent a number of years working as a Senior Customer Service Consultant for Wide Bay Australia Ltd, where she oversaw the operations of her branch including training and managing branch staff, and attained her Certificate III in Financial Services. She went on to spend two years in the U.K. whilst travelling Europe, gaining experience working in recruitment, facilities, human resources and the insurance industry.
At bluebox, Helen provides administrative assistance specific to the coordination of intellectual property and patents. Helen also assists with the administration of bluebox's extensive database, used to track the commercialisation process and the IP generated by the University.
