Meet the Team

Valerie Landrio McDevitt, JD, MST, RTTP
Associate Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Innovation

vmcdevitt@fsu.edu

Valerie joined FSU as the associate vice president of strategic partnerships and innovation to boost the commercial development of the university’s innovation, with a particular focus on the technology transfer process and business engagement. She previously served as executive director with the AdventHealth Research Institute in Orlando as well as Associate VP for new venture development at University of South Florida, where she spent over 18 years supporting research and technology commercialization including incubation, strategic planning, startup funding, technology transfer, economic development, external engagement, and related grants and contracts. 

Valerie is a member of the Georgia and Florida bars and admitted to practice before the Federal Patent and Trademark Office.

Steve Medina, JD
Senior Licensing Manager

850-645-0048  |  smedina2@fsu.edu

Steve joined FSU as a senior licensing manager and is responsible in the management and commercialization of FSU technologies in engineering, including licensing of intellectual property (IP), internal IP education, IP strategy, NSF I-Corps, and startup development. Prior to joining FSU, he worked as a Technology Transfer Office professional at the Advent Health Research Institute and the University of South Florida for over ten years. Areas include advanced communications, computer science, artificial intelligence/software, materials, hardware, optics/photonics, control systems, power systems, educational software, healthcare AI, and medical devices. Steve is also a registered patent attorney with experience at the US Patent and Trademark Office as a Patent Examiner and is a member of the Florida and Patent Bars.

Raghuram Dhumpa, PhD
Licensing Manager

850-645-8016  |  rdhumpa@fsu.edu

Raghuram (Raghu) joined FSU as a licensing manager with a strong background in biomedical science and engineering. Before joining FSU, Raghu spent eight years managing a startup, where he led the design, development, and commercialization of various products. He successfully secured SBIR grant funding and collaborated with universities on product development. Raghu completed his postdoctoral research training at FSU.

Aditya Bhattacharya, PhD
Licensing Manager

850-644-9318  |  a.bhattacharya@fsu.edu

Aditya Bhattacharya joined FSU as a licensing manager and is an artificial intelligence/machine learning expert. Before joining FSU, Aditya worked in developing machine learning products with different companies, such as M&C Saatchi World Services and Amazon.

Sarah Murphy, MBA
IP & Contract Compliance Program Director

(850) 675-4217  |  smurphy6@fsu.edu

Sarah joined FSU as the Intellectual Property & Contract Compliance Program Director. She ensures reporting and agreement compliance, manages the IP docket, and oversees outside counsel in matters related to patent prosecution and filings. Sarah has demonstrated extensive IP and compliance experience throughout her career: she worked for Boston-based IP firms Clark & Ebing and Bainwood Huang as an IP paralegal for seven years, served as Senior Intellectual Property Specialist for the University of South Florida for almost five years, and was an HR/EHS manager for a private sector company for over five years. Sarah also holds a paralegal certificate from Boston University and is an AUTM certified Compliance Professional.