Discovery to Product director to retire

Discovery to Product director to retire

Andy Richards

Andy Richards

For Andy Richards, director of Discovery to Product (D2P), it’s about time.

Time to take longer walks with his dog, Lady. Time to bike – and not just to work. Time to add to his worldwide travelogue that already includes jaunts to Peru, New Zealand and a favorite wild destination, the Boundary Waters. Time to tend to his bees and to perfect the art of making chocolate.

Time to do all of those things and more, without worrying about work emails piling up and days devoted to meetings.

Many can relate.

Richards, who has been D2P director since April 2018, is set to retire in May 2023. A search committee to fill the position is being formed and will be chaired by Aaron Olver, managing director of University Research Park.

D2P, located within the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education (OVCRGE), supports and mentors faculty, staff and student innovators and entrepreneurs on campus who are interested in moving their technology and innovations to the marketplace. With offices at 1403 University Ave., D2P fosters collaborations between UW–Madison, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) and other partners off and on campus, and has been integral in launching successful startups.

“Sometimes I hear some people who are not on campus say, ‘Oh that’s not possible,’” Richards says. “But what I love about UW–Madison is that, not only is it possible; it’s happening and it’s happening right here.”

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