A stone’s throw is all that separates Ohio State from Battelle, a national leader in science headquartered on King Avenue.
Battelle, the world’s largest independent nonprofit research and development organization, and OSU, a leading research university, have appointed Blake Thompson as vice president of the new Battelle-OSU collaboration.
Thompson will act as a liaison between Battelle and OSU and oversee research collaboration between the two.
In the past, other individuals have informally taken on the role of overseeing OSU-Battelle collaborations, but this is the first time an individual has formally taken on the position.
“I have heard [OSU President E.] Gordon Gee talk about the value of partnerships already in my short time here,” Thompson said. “I’ve heard Jeff Wadsworth, the CEO [of Battelle], talk about the value of partnerships. I think both of them believe that together these two institutions will be even stronger than they are individually.”
To launch collaboration, Wadsworth has accepted the position of chairman on the board for the OSU Medical Center. He will sit on the board of the Medical Affairs Committee as an ex-officio member.
The creation of Thompson’s new liaison position has been about six months in the making, said T.R. Massey, a spokesman for Battelle. Having a joint position between OSU and Battelle has been a growing interest, he said, but it gained momentum when Wadsworth became the CEO in January.
Thompson said it is too early to tell which areas of research collaboration have the most potential, but he has met with OSU faculty to discuss potential projects.
He said OSU has recently been awarded a National Science Foundation award for advanced material sciences, which is one of Battelle’s strongest areas of research. This is an area that has potential for partnerships, he said.
Thompson said he would like to look for new ways to increase undergraduate participation in research. He also would like to see more joint recruiting. If OSU is recruiting a faculty member, Battelle wants to make sure they are aware of opportunities that Battelle offers. If Battelle is recruiting a researcher, they want them to be aware of the opportunities that OSU has to offer.
Massey said he hopes to hire more OSU graduates, especially international students who have equally competitive job opportunities in their home countries.
According to an OSU press release, Thompson worked as the director of University Partnerships for Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Department of Energy’s largest science laboratory. He also worked for the University of Tennessee.
