DIRECTOR, PLANETARY SOLUTIONS IMPACT ACCELERATOR AT YALE UNIVERSITY (NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT)

Director, Planetary Solutions Impact Accelerator | Yale University | New Haven, Connecticut

The Director of the Planetary Solutions Impact Accelerator (PSIA) will lead and manage Yale’s dedicated accelerator focused on commercializing groundbreaking technologies aimed at solving planetary challenges, particularly the climate crisis. The Director will oversee day-to-day operations, participate in proposal solicitation and evaluation, advisory committee coordination, project funding management, and active mentorship of Yale faculty innovators in collaboration with Yale Planetary Solutions. The successful candidate will leverage significant climate and sustainability tech experience, ideally blending technical proficiency and commercialization expertise with knowledge of relevant policies and legislation, to position Yale-developed innovations for substantial planetary impact. To maximize its impact on solving planetary challenges, the fund will prioritize technologies directly addressing root-cause problems rather than adaptation or resilience strategies.

Key Responsibilities

Building on Yale Ventures’ proven ability to build and operate thematic technology accelerators, the Director will play a pivotal role in establishing PSIA, including all of the following key responsibilities:

• Fund Leadership and Strategy:
• Establish strategic goals and operational plans in consultation with the Principal Investigator, Vice Provost for Planetary Solutions Julie Zimmerman, and Yale Ventures.
• Proposal Management and Solicitation:
• Participate in an annual solicitation process to engage Yale faculty researchers across relevant disciplines, collaborating with Planetary Solutions and sister accelerator programs run by Yale Ventures.
• Guide and mentor faculty innovators in proposal development to maximize scientific rigor, market viability, and impact potential.
• Advisory Committee Coordination:
• Recruit, organize, and manage a carefully vetted cross-disciplinary advisory committee composed of external climate and clean tech experts, entrepreneurs and investors.
• Coordinate committee meetings, facilitate proposal reviews, and incorporate advisory recommendations into project selections.
• Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EIR) Recruitment and Management:
• Recruit and engage EIRs with deep domain expertise in climate and sustainability technologies, complementing an already established Yale Ventures EIR corps of almost 200 professionals across multiple technology domains.
• Oversee climate and clean-tech EIR involvement, ensuring they provide comprehensive feedback and mentorship to faculty teams.
• Student Fellow Program:
• Recruit, train, and supervise a cohort of 6-8 students annually from SEAS, YSE, GSAS, YSPH, SOM, Architecture and Yale College.
• Coordinate student activities in market research, technology assessment, and proposal preparation support.
• Project Management and Funding Oversight:
• Administer awarded funds, ensuring project milestones, deliverables, and compliance are systematically tracked and reported.
• Facilitate regular check-ins with funded projects, providing strategic guidance and addressing barriers to commercialization.
• Technology Translation
• Support activities to successfully translate successful projects for real-world impact, either through licensing to established operators or forming new ventures to develop the technology.
• Help develop the commercialization strategy and identify potential investors.
• Prepare project teams to pitch to investors and corporate partners, and when necessary support all aspects of new venture formation including identifying founding team members, necessary infrastructure and useful partnerships.
• Stakeholder Engagement and External Relations:
• Develop and maintain relationships with investors, industry partners, policymakers, and alumni to enhance PSIA’s network.
• Represent PSAI at relevant events and conferences.
• Impact Measurement and Reporting:
• Establish robust metrics to assess and communicate the PSIA’s effectiveness in achieving commercialization and planetary solutions impact goals.
• Prepare regular reports for university leadership, advisory committee members, and donors.
  
  

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