Vice President for Venture Pathways and Chief Commercialization Officer

Job ID: 58505Location: Houston, Texas, United StatesPosted: 2026-05-08Company: Rice UniversityContact Email: View email address on click.appcast.io University, one of the nation’s elite universities for scholarly research and societal impact, seeks an entrepreneurial leader and deft administrator to serve as the institution’s Vice President for Venture Pathways and Chief Commercialization Officer (CCO). The CCO will report directly to the Executive Vice President for Research. The CCO will activate and coordinate an enhanced commercialization ecosystem at Rice to maximize the translation of university-wide discoveries and inventions to foster concrete commercial success and ultimately contribute to the betterment of the world. Rice’s Office of Venture Pathways (previously named the Office of Innovation) encompasses the end-to-end programs, processes, and partnerships required to translate Rice discoveries into startups, licensed technologies, and mission-aligned industry collaborations. The Office of Venture Pathways, led by the CCO, will aim to increase faculty and student participation in venture funding and technology licensing.Possessing, in equal measure, the skills to envision and execute, the CCO will expand and oversee Rice’s technology ventures and commercialization activities in support of the university’s foundational research and educational mission. The CCO will cultivate an on-campus culture that is rooted in discovery and innovation, uniting individual faculty, post-docs, and students in the commercialization process via robust programming and a substantial service and support infrastructure. The CCO will align these efforts with broader venture creation efforts and educational programs located in Rice’s Schools and academic departments. Importantly, the CCO will serve as the bridge between the university’s impressive research enterprise and the broader innovation ecosystem at Rice and in Houston and the Gulf South region.The successful CCO candidate will have the capability to serve as a strong strategic partner for research faculty, coupling entrepreneurial DNA with extensive experience in technology commercialization. In this role, the CCO will be eager to leverage Rice’s world-class engineering and science research community, working within the broader Rice entrepreneurship ecosystem to advance and grow Rice’s innovation portfolio.Rice has retained the services of WittKieffer, a national executive search firm, to assist the search committee in its identification and review of candidates. Confidential inquiries, nominations, referrals, and resumes with cover letters should be directed in confidence to the WittKieffer consultants supporting this search.All applications, nominations, and inquiries are invited. Applications should include, as two separate documents, a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in the profile, available below.WittKieffer is assisting Rice University in this search, which will remain open until an appointment is made.Application materials, nominations, and inquiries can be directed to:Andrew Bean, Ph.D. Principal View email address on click.appcast.io TeerSenior View email address on click.appcast.io View email address on click.appcast.io University is an Equal Opportunity Employer with commitment to diversity at all levels, and considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status. Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and the full inclusion of all qualified persons in the workplace. This commitment includes providing reasonable accommodations to persons with disabilities. For applicants with disabilities who require a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please contact Rice University’s Disability Resource Center at View phone number on click.appcast.io or View email address on click.appcast.io for support.