Arjan Quist, PhD

Arjan Quist is the Executive Director of Innovation Management at INVO, leading a team focused on driving the translation of university research into market-ready technologies.

With a background in materials science and ion physics (PhD from Uppsala University, Sweden) and an MSc in Experimental Physics from Vrije University Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Quist began his career in academia and research. Before joining Northwestern in 2011, he was a researcher in Surface Biotechnology at Uppsala University and the Neuroscience Research Institute at UC Santa Barbara. Arjan gained small business experience serving as Director of Nanotechnology for a Chicago based chemical and biosciences company, where he launched a nanoscale probe/imaging division.

At Northwestern, Quist focuses on technology commercialization, advising inventors on intellectual property protection, licensing negotiations with small and large strategic partners, and startup formation. He is also a regular lecturer on responsible conduct in research (with an emphasis on intellectual property) and has been a mentor for two teams in the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps program. Quist’s professional passion centers on viewing research translation as a social good — ensuring that the investment of public resources and academic creativity leads to tangible benefits for society.