The Academic Adventures Podcast

‘We need to get clear on what a commercial champion is’ with Rachel Connolly, Chris Jones and Elad Katz

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 06:00:00 +0000

This special episode was recorded at a live event in Edinburgh on 2 October 2025. We gathered to discuss the role of external experts in commercialising research and how to recruit and support a more diverse pool of experts.

Elad Katz is the co-founder and chief technology officer for Navigate Precision Biology, a spinout from University of Dundee. Rachel Connolly is an Enterprise Executive at Heriot Watt University specialising in deep tech commercialisation. Chris Jones is Chair and Non-Executive Director for a portfolio of life science companies and an experienced commercial champion.

The panel talks about

The need for flexibility and matching the right experts with the right project at the right time
How the current role descriptors and expectations might be attracting the wrong people
Addressing the lack of diversity amongst the current pool of external experts
Why relationships, commitment and drive can be more important than experience

Connect with our guests on LinkedIn - Chris Jones, Elad Katz & Rachel Connolly

To receive a copy of the report ‘Widening and formalising Executives in Residence (XiR) in Scotland’ by Hamish McAlpine and Britta C Wyatt, get in touch with Orla Kelly

“Commercial champions are the secret sauce.’ With Nicola McMillan

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 06:00:00 +0100

Nicola McMillan leads the High Growth Spinout Programme at Scottish Enterprise. The Programme provides funding and support to help commercialise research which has the potential to make an impact globally. A core part of this programme is matching potential companies with commercial champions.

Sarah and Nicola talk about

Why commercial champions are the ‘secret sauce’
What makes an excellent commercial champion (and why it might not be what you think)
The challenges of attracting the right people and why that is currently creating a bottleneck in the spinout process
How all partners can work together to help fill the commercial champion pipeline

Connect with Nicola on LinkedIn

Find out about the High Growth Spinout Programme

Follow the Academic Adventures podcast on LinkedIn

This podcast was a collaboration between the University of the West of Scotland, Converge and Sarah McLusky, working in partnership with Ross Tuffee and The Connect-Ed Network. The podcast team includes Orla Kelly, Adam Kosterka, Jen Black and Sarah McLusky. This season of Academic Adventures is supported by the Scottish Funding Council.

“Their mandate is to be disruptive and that can create tensions.” With Hamish McAlpine

Tue, 22 Jul 2025 06:00:00 +0100

Hamish McAlpine is Director of Policy & Engagement at innovation consultancy Oxentia. Hamish is working on a report, due out in September 2025, which explores how Scottish universities currently work with external experts to support research commercialisation and what could be done better in the future.

Sarah and Hamish talk about

The inherit tensions between how entrepreneurs think and how universities operate
How entrepreneurs in residence are recruited, inducted, supported and deployed across universities
The myriad reasons why the pool of experts lacks diversity
Why Scotland is well placed to make system-wide improvements

Connect with Hamish on LinkedIn

Visit Hamish’s page on the Oxentia website

Follow the Academic Adventures podcast on LinkedIn

"The spinout process is definitely not an easy one" with Nanik Ramchandani

Tue, 08 Jul 2025 10:00:00 +0100

Nanik Ramchandani is an entrepreneur with over twenty-years’ experience in the financial services industry all around the world. Now based in Edinburgh, Nanik has worked with Edinburgh Napier University for many years. He was an Entrepreneur in Residence in 2023/24 and helped establish the Scottish Centre of Excellence in Digital Trust. He is now working alongside academic co-founder Zakwan Jaroucheh to spin out cybersecurity company Lasting Asset.

Sarah and Nanik talk about

His entrepreneurial journey and why he got involved in research commercialisation
The unique challenges of launching a university spin-out compared to a typical start-up
Why spinouts need support to get beyond proof of concept and land their first customer
How universities might attract and incentivise more commercial champions

Connect with Nanik on LinkedIn

Find out about Nanik’s new spinout business Lasting Asset

Follow the Academic Adventures podcast on LinkedIn

“You can build anything you want if you conspire together.” With Mark Logan

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 06:00:00 +0100

Mark Logan is an entrepreneurship advocate and advisor. Formerly Mark was the Chief Operating Officer of Skyscanner and Chief Entrepreneurial Advisor to the Scottish Government. He now supports entrepreneurship education at the University of Glasgow, the University of Strathclyde and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Sarah and Mark talk about

How a love of building things evolved into a love of building teams
Why ‘scale-deep’ businesses need more recognition and support
Encouraging universities to take economic impact as seriously as teaching and research
The untapped potential in Scotland's world-class creative arts sector

Connect with Mark on LinkedIn

Follow the Academic Adventures podcast on LinkedIn

“Students are rarely taught about the social enterprise landscape.” with Kirsty Thomson

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 06:00:00 +0100

Kirsty Thomson is a charity and social enterprise consultant. She has founded several organisations including The Circle and was recently CEO of The Big House. Kirsty is also a Professor of Practice at the University of Dundee and Chair of the university’s Business School advisory committee.

Kirsty and Sarah explore

Her professional journey from academic to founder and back again
The support that charity founders need to be financially sustainable
Why university students rarely learn about third-sector business models
How professional role models can help bridge the gap between theory and practice

Connect with Kirsty on LinkedIn

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“How do we, as a nation, commercialise the innovation that happens in our universities.” with Polly Purvis

Tue, 27 May 2025 06:00:00 +0100

Polly is Chair of Converge and the Digital Xtra Fund as well as being a board member of Edinburgh Science. This follows a long career in banking, economic development and digital technology. Polly has an honorary doctorate from the University of Abertay and an OBE for services to industry.

Polly and Sarah discuss:

Why she has always enjoyed working at the leading edge of innovation
The challenges universities and academics face when commercialising research
How Converge supports academic entrepreneurs across all of Scotland’s universities
What Scotland might learn from looking to other countries

Connect with Polly on LinkedIn or BlueSky

Visit the Converge website

See the comparison of European universities DeepTech spinout value that Polly mentions.

Follow the Academic Adventures podcast on LinkedIn

“We need bolder strategies and greater ambition.” with Mark Zwinderman

Tue, 13 May 2025 06:00:00 +0100

Mark Zwinderman is a strategic advisor who specialises in helping high-growth technology companies. He is CEO of SAS Environmental Services (which started as a university spinout), runs the Moonshot Factory programme at the Higgs Centre for Innovation and is a commercial champion at the University of Strathclyde.

Mark shares his thoughts on:

Why people and business culture matter more than the technology or product
Longer-term support and mentoring for founders
Where Scotland currently excels, but could do even better with bolder and more ambitious strategies
How to recruit and better support more commercial champions

Connect with Mark on LinkedIn

Visit the Moonshot Factory website

Follow the Academic Adventures podcast on LinkedIn

“If the barriers aren’t broken down, we’re missing out on a lot of talent and potential.” with Diana Gormley

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 06:00:00 +0100

Diana Gormley is the Founder of business consulting firm Danu Solutions Ltd, as well as being an Entrepreneur in Residence at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen.

Diana explains why she wants to break down barriers and get more people involved in entrepreneurship including:

The Women in Business course that helped her transition from engineering to running her own company
Making entrepreneurial concepts and language accessible and relevant
How universities can make good use of their Entrepreneurs in Residence
Why she thinks university staff need more access to support and opportunities

Connect with Diana on LinkedIn or via email

Find out more about Danu Solutions Ltd

Follow the Academic Adventures podcast on LinkedIn

“I’m able to identify pitfalls and bottlenecks.” with Christopher Leburn

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 06:00:00 +0100

Christopher Leburn is the Technology Exploitation Director for the Photonics & Quantum Accelerator (PQA) programme based at the University of Strathclyde, but working across Scotland’s central belt. He focuses on supporting and mentoring academics to boost research commercialisation.

Christopher shares his vision for filling the spin-out pipeline with exciting opportunities including:

Why Scotland’s central belt is perfectly placed to translate more photonics research into innovation
Getting academics to think more like entrepreneurs
How he champions great ideas and helps to smooth the path to commercialisation
Joining the dots from research to real jobs through place-based partnerships

Connect with Christopher on LinkedIn or X

Visit the Photonics & Quantum Accelerator website and follow the programme on LinkedIn or X @PhotonicsQA

Follow the Academic Adventures podcast on LinkedIn

“I was often the only woman in the room, and I wanted to do something about that” with Gillian Fleming

Fri, 07 Mar 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Gillian Fleming is Co-Founder and Managing Director of women-led angel investment network Mint Ventures. She is also an Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Stirling.

Gillian shares the rewards and challenges of being an Entrepreneur in Residence including

Why supporting women-led businesses is so important to her
How working in university commercialisation got her interested in investing
Her personal connection to Stirling which motivates her to give back
The rewards of being trusted with people’s ideas and aspirations

Connect to Gillian via LinkedIn

Visit the Mint Ventures website

Follow Mint Ventures on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram or X (@MintVentures)

Follow the Academic Adventures podcast on LinkedIn

“You always have to be looking for different ways of making it happen” with Emily Doolittle

Tue, 21 May 2024 06:00:00 +0100

Emily Doolittle is a lecturer and research fellow at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. She is also an independent composer, working on commissions and personal projects alongside her academic work.

Emily shares how she combines these different roles including:

Why she identifies as stubborn rather than entrepreneurial
The ways that her academic and freelance work are intertwined
How coming to the UK has allowed her to have a more varied career
Her goal of getting 100 rejections a year

Hear some of Emily’s compositions on her website
Connect to Emily via her Royal Conservatoire profile
Find out about Emily’s interdisciplinary collaborations via SHARE

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‘If you’re not feeling insecure, you’re not learning’ with Dr Kavi Jagadamma

Tue, 14 May 2024 07:00:00 +0100

Kavi Jagadamma is a senior lecturer in physiotherapy at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. He is also one of four directors at Health Design Collective, a social enterprise which co-creates shoes for people with long-term health conditions.

Kavi shares the company’s journey to date including:

The huge value of mentoring and support
How applying for enterprise funding differs from research funding
Celebrating small wins and gradual progress
Redefining creativity and entrepreneurship

Connect with Kavi on LinkedIn or X
Find out about Health Design Collective on their website, Facebook or X

Follow the Academic Adventures podcast on LinkedIn

This podcast was a collaboration between the University of the West of Scotland, Converge and Sarah McLusky. The podcast team includes Orla Kelly, Adam Kosterka, Jen Black and Sarah McLusky. Proudly supported by the Scottish Ecosystem Fund 2023-24.

‘Make sure you are selling a technology that the world needs’ with Prof Duncan Graham and Prof Karen Faulds

Tue, 07 May 2024 08:00:00 +0100

Duncan Graham and Karen Faulds are both chemistry professors at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. They were part of the team which founded the diagnostics spin-out company D3 Technologies in 2007.

Duncan and Karen share what they learned from both starting and closing the company including:

Their long, slow journey to try and make D3 Technologies a viable business
The importance of talking to potential customers to make sure they actually want the product
Why they are only now considering a new spin-out opportunity
How university support for spin-outs has improved since their first attempt

Connect with Duncan on X
Connect with Karen on X

Follow the Academic Adventures podcast on LinkedIn

This podcast was a collaboration between the University of the West of Scotland, Converge and Sarah McLusky. The podcast team includes Orla Kelly, Adam Kosterka, Jen Black and Sarah McLusky. Proudly supported by the Scottish Ecosystem Fund 2023-24.

‘It's a lot more than just the product’ with Anne Muir

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 08:00:00 +0100

Anne Muir is Director of Portfolio at EOS, an organisation that invests in university spin-out companies. Prior to that she was Head of IP and Commercialisation at the University of Dundee.

Anne talks about what she has learned from a long career in technology transfer and business development including:

The art and science of successful commercialization
Why everyone needs sales training
Getting satisfaction from helping develop talented entrepreneurs
Encouraging academics to take advantage of the support on offer

Connect with Anne on LinkedIn
Find out more about EOS

‘You just have to be willing to walk that path’ with Dr Anton Puzorjov

Tue, 23 Apr 2024 08:00:00 +0100

Anton is the founder of Quas Drinks, a company he set up in 2021 whilst completing a PhD in synthetic biology at the University of Edinburgh. A serial entrepreneur, he established his first venture while still a Masters’ student but closed the business in 2019.

Anton shares what he has learned from his journey including:

How his entrepreneurial dreams were inspired by an ex-girlfriend’s mum
When he realised that his first business One Cherry wasn’t viable
Taking advantage of all the support, funding, events, and competitions on offer
Treating everything as a learning opportunity

Find out more about Anton’s work -

Connect with Anton on LinkedIn
Find out about Quas Drinks

Follow the Academic Adventures podcast on LinkedIn

This podcast was a collaboration between the University of the West of Scotland, Converge and Sarah McLusky. The podcast team includes Orla Kelly, Adam Kosterka, Jen Black and Sarah McLusky and is proudly supported by the Scottish Ecosystem Fund 2023-24.

‘It's not who you know, it's who knows you’ with John Storm

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 07:00:00 +0100

John Storm is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen Business School, as well as being an independent consultant. He lived and worked in China for 10 years and continues to work with companies all over the world.

John shares how he uses this business experience to support the next generation of entrepreneurs including:

Why he often relates more to his students than his academic colleagues
Finding the synergies between his teaching and business roles
How bankruptcy taught him the importance of trust and integrity
That success means being able to say no
The importance of relationships and reputation for entrepreneurs

Find out more about John’s work

Connect with John on LinkedIn
Read about some of his different ventures

Follow the Academic Adventures podcast on LinkedIn

'Not every academic wants to start their own company' with Catriona Liddle

Tue, 09 Apr 2024 08:00:00 +0100

Catriona Liddle is Head of the Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh. Before this Catriona spent over 20 years as a product developer in the food industry.

In this episode Catriona shares the journey to developing palm oil substitute Palm-Alt and what she has learned about collaborations between academia and industry including:

The challenges of industry collaboration during COVID
Why she cares more about the research process than commercialisation
Playing to her strengths and getting support for her weaknesses
Supporting the next generation of food and drink innovators via the THRIVE Programme

Find out more about Catriona’s work

Connect with Catriona on LinkedIn
The Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation
The Palm-Alt project
The THRIVE Programme for food and drink entrepreneurs

Follow the Academic Adventures podcast on LinkedIn

I’ve learned more from my failures than from my successes - Andy Porter

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 09:00:00 +0100

Professor Andy Porter is a part-time academic and director of the Scottish Biologics Facility at the University of Aberdeen. He also holds exec and non-exec positions in several life science and drinks businesses in Scotland.

In this episode Andy shares the highs and lows of 20 years in academic entrepreneurship from his first big venture Haptogen to the portfolio career he has today, including:

Why his first business venture was more about preventing brain drain than making money
How a Royal Society of Edinburgh Commercialisation Fellowship changed his life
The experiences and failures that have made him more calm in a crisis
Why he still finds emerging science more exciting than anything else

Find out about Andy’s various academic and business ventures -

· Scottish Biologics Facility at the University of Aberdeen
· Therapeutic drugs company Elasmogen
· Diagnostics company Microplate Dx
· Microbiology company NCIMB
· Cultivated meat company Roslin Technologies
· Aberdeen cocktail bar Orchid
· Porter’s Gin distillery
· Cocktail retailer White Box

Follow the Academic Adventures podcast on LinkedIn.

This podcast was a collaboration between the University of the West of Scotland, Converge and Sarah McLusky. The podcast team includes Orla Kelly, Adam Kosterka, Jen Black and Sarah McLusky. Proudly supported by the Scottish Ecosystem Fund 2023-24.

Learn fast, fail fast with Dr Genevieve Patenaude

Tue, 26 Mar 2024 08:00:00 +0000

Dr Genevieve Patenaude is an environmental scientist (formerly University of Edinburgh) and CEO of environmental mapping company Earth Blox.

In this episode Genevieve shares how she evolved from academic to entrepreneur and what she has learned along the way including:

Why she always wanted to be an entrepreneur and why Earth Blox was the right business at the right time
The importance building an agile team that can learn fast, fail fast and pivot
Surrounding herself with experts and taking advantage of all the support on offer
Creating a workplace culture that embraces family and flexibility

Connect with Genevieve on LinkedIn
Find out about Earth Blox
Follow the Academic Adventures podcast on LinkedIn

This podcast was a collaboration between the University of the West of Scotland, Converge and Sarah McLusky. The podcast team includes Orla Kelly, Adam Kosterka, Jen Black and Sarah McLusky. It was funded by the Scottish Ecosystem Fund 2023-24.

Why taking the first step is a victory with Dr Marc Reid

Tue, 19 Mar 2024 09:00:00 +0000

Dr Marc Reid is a chemist, UKRI Future Leaders Fellow, podcast host and author based at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.

In this episode Marc shares the story of his first business venture, Pre-Site Safety, and what he learned from it including:

The deeply personal mission behind Pre-Site Safety and why he is ultimately grateful that it didn’t work out
How important conversations and customers are to a budding venture
Why you’ll never be able to map the road ahead unless you take that first step

Connect with Marc on LinkedIn, X or visit his website.
Find out about Marc’s latest venture Kineticolor
Follow the Academic Adventures podcast on LinkedIn

This podcast was a collaboration between the University of the West of Scotland, Converge and Sarah McLusky. The podcast team includes Orla Kelly, Adam Kosterka, Jen Black and Sarah McLusky and is proudly supported by the Scottish Ecosystem Fund 2023-24.

The Academic Adventures Podcast Trailer

Tue, 12 Mar 2024 13:00:00 +0000

This podcast is all about people who have embraced the opportunity to combine their academic work with entrepreneurial ventures.

This is a short introduction to the series. It includes a taster of some of the upcoming interviews, the story and the people behind the podcast, who we hope will listen and what we hope they will get out of it.

Follow the Academic Adventures podcast on LinkedIn.

[This podcast was a collaboration between the University of the West of Scotland, Converge and Sarah McLusky. The podcast team includes Orla Kelly, Adam Kosterka, Jen Black and Sarah McLusky. It was funded by the Scottish Ecosystem Fund 2023-24.]