This article has been updated with information on Park-Jones’ new role.
Ruth Park-Jones has departed the University of Melbourne after more than 18 years supporting tech transfer activities, including the last two years as director of commercialisation.
She has joined Monash University, where she is now the senior director of commercialisation. She will lead all aspects of the commercialisation process, providing leadership across IP licensing and tech transfer activities.
“Monash has extraordinary research capability and ambition. I’m passionate about working in true partnership with our academic community and industry to translate great ideas, build strong relationships and create long term value.”
Ruth Park-Jones
Park-Jones had joined the University of Melbourne as a junior commercialisation manager in 2007, working for the tech transfer arm then called Melbourne Ventures.
She subsequently held increasingly senior business development roles, and from May 2020 to July 2023 served as the business development director and cluster lead for Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences – the largest faculty at the university.
Park-Jones’ departure is the latest in a series of personnel changes over the past year.
In August 2025, Hun Gan was promoted to executive director for commercialisation in addition to his duties as the CEO of the University of Melbourne Genesis Pre-Seed Fund.
That same week, Michael Poisel joined the Melbourne Entrepreneurial Centre as executive director, following more than sixteen years as the executive director of PCI Ventures at the University of Pennsylvania.
Monash meanwhile has seen its own high-profile personnel change: former chief commercialisation officer Alastair Hick is now the CEO of university venture fund Uniseed. Ingmar Wahlqvist is the acting chief commercialisation officer at Monash.
