The NDSU Research Foundation added three new board members at the Oct. 14 board of directors meeting. The NDSU Research Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit organization that facilitates the transfer of NDSU scientific discoveries, technologies, products and processes to the marketplace.
NDSU’s technology portfolio includes developed inventions from faculty, staff and students ranging from green technologies to paints and coatings to software and algorithms. A particular strength of the portfolio is the plant varieties developed through NDSU’s public plant breeding program.
The 13-member board is responsible for the management and general administration of the NDSU Research Foundation. It’s composed of a diverse group of industry and academic leaders who provide the foundation with knowledge and experience.
Joining the NDSU Research Foundation board are Ryan Raguse, James Brown and John Hanish.
Raguse is president and co-founder of Bushel. Since its launch in 2017, the independently-owned software company’s software powers more than 2,000 grain facilities and reaches over 60,000 farmers across the U.S. and Canada with real-time business information. More than 40% of grain origination in the U.S and Canada run through the Bushel platform, which includes mobile apps, websites, trading tools, digital payments and money facilitation, market feeds, API services, FarmLogs (acquired by Bushel in 2021) and a custom software division focused on agriculture. Raguse is a graduate of NDSU.
Brown is CEO and a co-founder of Agathos Biologics, a company developing biological systems to facilitate better delivery of therapeutic molecules, including proteins, enzymes and nucleic acids, directly to cells. Before Agathos, he held multiple leadership roles at Aldevron, REGENXBIO and MedImmune (now AstraZeneca). James earned his doctorate in chemistry from Stanford University.
Hanish, a graduate of NDSU, is a shareholder in Maynard, Cooper and Gale's New York office. He has 24 years of experience in the trial and appeal of patent licensing and infringement disputes in the federal courts, International Trade Commission and arbitration, and advises clients with respect to obtaining and licensing patents. He graduated from NYU School of Law after earning his doctorate in biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Chicago. He also was a Winston fellow at The Rockefeller University and a research scientist at the Sloan-Kettering Institute.
“We are glad to welcome Ryan, James and John to the board of directors,” said NDSU President and Research Foundation board president David Cook. “Their experiences span an array of industries and intellectual property/patent knowledge and they will help guide the foundation in determining how we can effectively interface with the marketplace.”
Colleen Fitzgerald, NDSU vice president for research and creative activity and Research Foundation board treasurer said the group is a critical component of the success of NDSU’s research operations. “The board plays an essential role in supporting the next phases of NDSU’s growth in commercialization and technology development,” she said. ‘Finding ways to spur more creativity and innovation is essential for us to thrive as a 21st century land-grant institution, especially given our R1 research classification.”
Board meetings are held quarterly, with an annual meeting in November.
