Dean Chang

Dr. Dean Chang is Interim Chief Innovation Officer and Associate Vice President for Innovation and Economic Development in the Division of Research at the University of Maryland. In this capacity, he oversees the innovation, entrepreneurship, intellectual property, and technology commercialization enterprise at the University of Maryland, including UM Ventures and the Discovery District, providing support for inventors, entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses.

Between 2013-2022, Dr. Chang served as the founding Associate Vice President for Innovation and Entrepreneurship for the University of Maryland's Academy for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (AIE), reporting to the President and the Provost. In this role, he has been tasked with engaging all 41,000 UMD students in all 12 colleges and schools in innovation. Before leading the AIE, Dr. Chang oversaw the Clark School of Engineering technology startup venture programs. He is also the lead PI and instructor for the National Science Foundation's (NSF) I-Corps Hub program. He has also served as a lead instructor in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) IDEA Lab Ignite innovation program, and an instructor and a coach in the Stanford Teaching and Learning Studio.

Prior to joining the University of Maryland, Dr. Chang spent 15 years in Silicon Valley, serving dual roles as the Chief Technology Officer and Vice President, Gaming Business of Immersion Corporation. He helped transform the venture-backed spinout of the Stanford University robotics lab into a publicly traded (NASDAQ: IMMR), world-leading licensor of haptics technology embedded in hundreds of millions of products from companies like Sony, Microsoft, Apple, BMW, Samsung, CAE, LG, Logitech, and Electronic Arts. As Vice President, Gaming Business, he was responsible for maximizing revenue from licensing Immersion's patent portfolio to the video game industry. Dr. Chang was also part of the executive road show team that successfully raised $51 million in the company's initial public stock offering.

Dr. Chang earned a B.A. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and Robotics from Stanford University, and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.