Almesha L. Campbell, Ph.D. is the Assistant Vice President for Research and Economic Development at Jackson State University (JSU). In this capacity, she supports the Vice President with overall responsibility for the Division of Research and Economic Development. For over 10 years, she served as the Director for Technology Transfer and Commercialization at JSU and continues to manage the intellectual property process from triage of invention disclosures to commercialization.

Almesha designs and manages a number of national and local programs around innovation and entrepreneurship in an effort to broaden the participation of underrepresented minorities in these areas. She is the Principal Investigator (PI) for the NSF-supported JSU I-Corps Site, which is designed to train teams of faculty and students to take their ideas from the lab to the market. She is also PI of two NSF EAGER grants: One is designed to help change the perception of underrepresented minorities in innovation and entrepreneurship, and the other is focused on creating a pathway to commercialization at HBCUs. Almesha serves as the executive director of the NIGMS-funded Engaging Researchers and Innovators in Commercialization at HBCUs (EnRICH) pre-accelerator program. She co-led the development of the newly established Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at JSU, which houses XR Academy, makerspace, eSports Lab, learning collaboratory, production room, and more. She created the JSU Innovation Fellows Program and spearheads a newly designed initiative to transform the STEM curriculum using virtual reality.

She was elected incoming chair of the AUTM Board of Directors – the first black person and the first from an HBCU to sit on the Board. In addition to AUTM, Almesha holds membership in professional organizations such as the Licensing Executives Society, Society of Research Administrators (SRA) International, the American Society of Public Administration, and is an honorary member of the National Academy of Inventors. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida, and a master’s degree in mass communications, and a doctoral degree in public policy and administration from Jackson State University.