Almesha L. Campbell, Ph.D. is the Assistant Vice President for Research and Economic Development at Jackson State University (JSU). She designs and manages programs around innovation, technology transfer, and commercialization 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 on how to take their ideas from the lab to the market. She is also PI of two NSF EAGER grants focused on innovation, entrepreneurship, technology transfer, and commercialization. Dr. Campbell serves as the executive director of the NIGMS-funded Engaging Researchers and Innovators in Commercialization at HBCUs (EnRICH) pre-accelerator program. In addition to these programs, Dr. Campbell is leading a state-funded initiative to transform the STEM curriculum at JSU using virtual reality.

Dr. Campbell co-created the Center for Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development at JSU which houses the XR Academy, Makerspace, eSports Gaming Lab, production room, training collaboratory, and more. She also founded and leads the Innovation Fellows program, where she trains students to be change agents for innovation on campus, and prepares them for internship opportunities and the future of work.

She was elected to a 3-year term on the AUTM Board of Directors starting March 2021 and now serves as chair-elect for the organization. In addition to AUTM, Dr. Campbell holds membership in professional organizations such as the Licensing Executives Society, Society of Research Administrators (SRA) International, and the American Society of Public Administration. She has a master’s degree in mass communications and a doctoral degree in public policy and administration.