Welcome to Corporate Engagement at UF Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering!
With years of experience in corporate stewardship, I understand the challenges companies face when navigating academic partnerships, and I’m excited to serve as your dedicated partner in accessing UF’s vast resources.
Through our unique “Single Door Approach,” we guide you every step of the way, eliminating the guesswork. Whether your goal is to:
- Ignite Creativity: Leverage student ingenuity through talent acquisition, internships, competitions, and collaborative projects.
- Drive Innovation: Collaborate with faculty experts on cutting-edge research, access high-tech facilities like HiPerGator, and protect your discoveries with licensing and patent support.
- Empower Workforce Development: Build your team’s skills with lifelong learning, customized workshops, and online or in-person programs.
- Build a Hi-Tech Ecosystem: Tap into UF’s expertise in developing technology pipelines, fostering startups, and scaling prototypes into real-world solutions.
UF Engineering is at the forefront of discovery and innovation, and we’re excited to help your company stay ahead of the curve. Together, let’s elevate your talent pipeline, strengthen your innovation strategy, and bring your boldest ideas to life.
Warm regards,
Tom Waters
Director, Corporate Engagement
About Tom Waters
Tom Waters brings over 20 years of experience in industry partnerships, innovation strategy, and technology commercialization to his role as Corporate Engagement Director. His career includes serving in BASF Corporation’s R&D department and as an undercover member of the CIA’s Economic Security Team, where he advised U.S. companies on protecting trade secrets. He holds over a dozen patents in biometrics and encryption technologies and has authored books on innovation (Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks) and market strategy (Hyperformance)..
Prior to joining UF, he led market intelligence within corporate strategy at Jabil and served as the assistant director for Startups at the University of South Florida. With a bachelor’s degree from UT-Chattanooga, an MBA from Wake Forest, and advanced training from Stanford Law School, he is passionate about driving meaningful collaborations that create real-world impact.
Let’s raise your company’s talent and innovation profile together!
