Chief Executive Officer of UNeMed

Dr. Michael Dixon is president and CEO of the UNeMed Corporation, a for-profit company that works with faculty, students and staff of UNMC to commercialize innovative ideas that have the potential to improve public health for Nebraska residents and beyond. Dr. Dixon and the UNeMed staff work to match industry, entrepreneurs and investors with university researchers to foster partnerships for the commercial development of new technology.

Dr. Dixon’s tenure at UNMC began in 1998 when he joined the Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases. Dr. Dixon’s research interests at UNMC were focused in the areas of molecular biology, genetics, and biochemistry. In 2003 a move that transitioned him from the bench to the business side of science, Dr. Dixon joined the UNMC Intellectual Property Office as a faculty liaison, where his main responsibilities included working with University of Nebraska researchers to evaluate and protect new inventions as well negotiating contracts on behalf of the NU.

In January of 2007, Dr. Dixon helped facilitate the merger of the Intellectual Property Office and UNeMed, creating a single technology development and commercialization entity. As president and CEO of UNeMed, Dr. Dixon is responsible for setting UNeMed’s strategic path and directing UNeMed’s activities; including efforts to protect, market, and license new technology. Since the reorganization in 2007, UNeMed has doubled the number of new inventions and licenses it executes each year. UNeMed revenues have increased tenfold.

Before coming to UNMC, Dr. Dixon spent two years as a chemist in the ethanol industry. He received Bachelor of Science degrees in chemistry and biology from Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Dr. Dixon is a member of the Association of University Technology Mangers, the Licensing Executives Society, and the Association for Corporate Growth. As an active member of the community, Dr. Dixon serves on several Boards, including the Board of Directors for Bio Nebraska, a nonprofit trade association dedicated to the development and growth of Nebraska’s bioscience industry and Invest Nebraska, a non-profit, venture development organization that advises and invests in companies and early stage business ideas in Nebraska.