Oxford University Innovation brings aboard new COO

Oxford University Innovation (OUI), which manages the research and development of Oxford spinouts, has appointed Jaci Barnett as chief operating officer (COO).

Jaci assumes the role after three years leading the organisation’s consulting services team, where she’s helped boost revenues and service level performance.

Prior to OUI, Jaci was head of research commercialisation and investment at the University of Bristol.

She’d previously worked in industry as an engineer, in a contract research organisation, and in senior technology transfer positions at the University of the Witwatersrand and Nelson Mandela University in South Africa.

Jaci has served as president of the Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association (SARIMA), a member of the Council of the Alliance of Technology Transfer Professionals (ATTP) and chair of ATTP’s course review committee from 2013 to 2020.

She’s a registered technology transfer professional and currently a PhD candidate at the University of Bristol, exploring the long-term outcomes of university spinout companies.