Dr. Iain Begg joined the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 2019 as Managing Director, Innovation Partnerships, to lead and provide additional pathways for translating research into impact. With a first degree in applied mathematics and chemistry, he earned his doctorate for work on laser fusion from the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Iain has spent many years as an entrepreneur creating innovations through startups. With experience in research, product development, and software development management, he has consistently bridged the gap between academia and industry. He has developed a strong focus on meeting the needs of customers and partners. He has taught entrepreneurship at both undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as visual analytics in UBC’s Master of Engineering Leadership program. Iain works closely with multiple facets of UBC and co-chairs the Campus as a Living Lab steering committee.
Iain is also a research and development leader with over twenty years’ experience and a reputation for technological innovation. His expertise spans strategic planning, product architecture and development, user experience, visual analysis, and competitive and market research. He brings a broad range of domain expertise across financial services, telecommunications, utilities, and real-time systems.
