Dr Zac Hickman Business Partnerships and Knowledge Exchange Manager
Providing advice and guidance to academics on business-led research for the Faculty of Engineering and Design.
Role
Zac is responsible for establishing and managing partnerships between academics and companies. His role includes:
- facilitating relationships with business
- identifying and promoting funding opportunities, including Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) and other Innovate UK schemes
- supporting the process of securing business funding
- overseeing business partnerships when funded
Zac supports the Faculty of Engineering and Design. He welcomes your enquiry if you want to work better with business.
Career
Zac is experienced at working at the interface between industry, business and universities, predominately in the disciplines and sectors of engineering and energy. He previously worked at the University of Aberdeen where he initially taught in Biological Sciences for four years, followed by the Careers Service for five years, and then Research & Innovation for the last five years.
His experience includes facilitating industry R&D projects, managing knowledge exchange activities and strategic partnerships, identifying research for commercialisation and supporting student and staff entrepreneurship. Zac’s research background is broadly in environmental science, soil science and biological remediation.
Education
Zac has a PhD in Novel Approaches to Hydrocarbon Contamination and MRes Environmental Science, both from the University of East Anglia. He is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and most recently achieved ILM5 in Leadership & Management.