Ohio State is in the process of revising websites and program materials to accurately reflect compliance with the law. While this work occurs, language referencing protected class status or other activities prohibited by Ohio Senate Bill 1 may still appear in some places. However, all programs and activities are being administered in compliance with federal and state law.

Becky Kaufman

Associate Vice President of Innovation Investment and New Ventures
Senior Associate General Counsel
Portrait of Becky Kaufman

Becky Kaufman became Associate Vice President and Senior Associate General Counsel for the Office of Legal Affairs in October 2022, where she serves as a key advisor to the Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge leadership (ERIK). She is also a member of the OLA executive leadership team.   

In this role, Becky provides legal guidance on issues relating to the development and management of the University’s research and intellectual property portfolios. She also provides strategic advice in connection with the identification and assessment of emerging technologies, the formation of new ventures (e.g., start-ups) and capital and venture development.

Most recently, Becky was a partner in the Intellectual Property group of King & Spalding, where she played a lead role in the firm’s life sciences transactional practice. Prior to that, Becky served as a principal with Cordova Ventures (an early-stage venture capital firm) and as a business advisor with the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), a leading startup incubator.  She has also served as an advisor to the University of Florida’s Sid Martin Biotech Incubator.

Becky earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where she completed additional graduate work in molecular biology.

  • Areas of Primary Responsibility:
    • The Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge
    • The Office of Research
  • Member of: National Associate of College and University Attorneys
  • Bar Admissions: Ohio, Georgia
  • Education:
    • University of Pittsburgh School of Law J.D.
    • Wake Forest University B.S. cum laude
  • Assistant: Carla Niese
  • Work Location: Main Office
  • Fax: 614-292-8699