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Engineering Leadership Institute College of Engineering

Dr. Lawrence Tinker

Assistant Director

Office: Suite 380, Herbert Wertheim Laboratory for Engineering Excellence
Phone: (352) 294-7908
Email: latinker@eng.ufl.edu

Education:

  • Ph.D. Chemistry, University of Texas – Austin

Bio:

Dr. Lawrence Tinker joined the Engineering Innovation Institute as its Assistant Director in July 2018. In this role, Dr. Tinker works with the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering faculty and students to build a culture of creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship. He delivers the Institute curriculum and helps students and faculty conceive, launch, fund, and operate tech-based, innovation-driven companies.

Prior to joining UF, Dr. Tinker served as Entrepreneur in Residence for the Florida Institute for the Commercialization of Public Research, where he worked closely with the Offices of Technology Commercialization at the major universities, colleges, and research institutions in northwest Florida to identify technologies that have the potential to be commercialized.  Dr. Tinker provided business guidance to startup companies commercializing technologies licensed from universities and research institutions in Florida, helping them develop business models, plans, and investor presentations, preparing them for investor pitches, and facilitating meetings with potential investors.  Dr. Tinker secured more than $3 million in matching funding for eleven startup companies in Florida during his time with the Institute.

Dr. Tinker has more than thirty years of professional experience in R&D, product development, intellectual property development, licensing, and corporate management. He has held numerous key positions in industry, including President of RBC Technologies, an independent technology development and licensing company where he led successful efforts to develop and license portable energy technologies – President, Vice president of Advanced Technology, and Vice President of Engineering at AER Energy Resources, a publicly traded technology development and licensing company where he was responsible for R&D, product development, intellectual property, and corporate management. Dr. Tinker also has served as Manager of Technology at Gates Aerospace Batteries and Manager of Research at Ballard.

Dr. Tinker earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from The University of Texas at Austin, is the author of twenty-four publications, and holds numerous patents.