Walker Joins Duke as Mattson Family Director of Entrepreneurial Ventures

This new position at Pratt, made possible by a gift from Pratt Board of Visitors member George Mattson E'87 and Holly Mattson, will report to incoming dean Ravi Bellamkonda and work closely with both the Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative and the Bass Connections program.

As director, Walker will empower Pratt faculty, students, and staff to create high-impact, technology-based commercial ventures. He will focus on helping Duke Engineering faculty, staff and students assess business opportunities for commercializing their ideas and research and develop new companies based on Pratt innovations.

Walker will also be responsible for developing new educational activities to enhance innovation and entrepreneurship training for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as fostering collaboration across the university and with industry and investors.

Walker completed both his undergraduate and PhD degrees in biomedical engineering at Duke, and returns with over 15 years' experience in product research and development and entrepreneurship. Holder of 23 patents, he served as founder and director of the successful ultrasound technology company PocketSonics as well as founder, president and CTO of Hemosonics, LLC, a startup based on core technology he developed to characterize hemostasis. He will continue part-time as CTO at Hemosonics while in his new role. Walker also served on the faculty of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Virginia from 1997 to 2013.

"With his broad experience in engineering education and entrepreneurship, Bill impressed the search committee and all who met him during his interview as an excellent candidate for this important new role at Pratt," said George Truskey, interim Vinik Dean of Engineering. "We have every confidence in his ability to inspire and prepare all members of the Pratt community for innovative leadership."

Walker will begin his new role on July 15, 2016.