Ha is the Senior Director of the Office of Technology Development at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies where she leads a team dedicated to the translation and commercialization of scientific innovations of Salk researchers, aligning with Salk’s vision to be Where Cures Begin®. Ha is a seasoned technology commercialization professional in the life sciences, leveraging 20 years of experience in IP management, technology transfer, licensing, business development, and supporting new company formation.

Prior to joining Salk, Ha was with ThermoFisher Scientific, Inc. (formerly Life Technologies Corp.) in licensing and business development roles where she was responsible for managing patented product portfolios and expanding partnerships in the applied markets for human/animal diagnostics and forensics. Prior to that, she spent many years in academic technology transfer at the University of California, San Francisco, where she was responsible for IP protection and commercialization of a range of life science technologies.

Ha received her Ph.D. in Chemistry and Chemical Biology from the University of California, San Francisco and B.S. in Chemistry from the University of California, Irvine; and is a registered patent agent with the USPTO.