Erik Iverson

Erik Iverson is Chief Executive Officer of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. He brings to his role over 20 years of executive experience leading organizations committed to entrepreneurial efforts that positively impact people worldwide. He assumed the lead of the investment and nonprofit patent and licensing organization in July 2016. For more than 90 years, WARF has invested in scientific research and education at the UW-Madison stewarding the cycle of research, discovery, commercialization and investment.

Iverson also continues to be engaged in national and multinational thought leadership efforts regarding the management and development of intellectual property and technologies, with a particular focus on global access to medicines. He serves on World Health Organization expert committees, including serving as a member of the 2017 WHO Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health Innovation and Intellectual Property.

Prior to joining WARF, Iverson was the President, Business & Operations, of the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI), a nonprofit global health organization in Seattle, WA, focused on research and product development for infectious diseases of global importance. Iverson led IDRI’s Executive Team in making critical business and strategic efforts relating to IDRI’s internal preclinical and clinical R&D programs, coordinating contract development and manufacturing services, technology/product in-licensing and acquisition, and technology out-licensing and partnering. He was also responsible for structuring international joint ventures and collaborative relationships aimed at the formulation, development and production of vaccines and vaccine technologies, including within emerging markets.

Iverson was a Founder and a Board Member of Afrigen Biologics Limited, an IDRI spinout biotechnology company located in Cape Town, South Africa, that is the first ever vaccine and biologics focused biotechnology company on the continent of Africa.

Prior to IDRI, Iverson was hired as the first attorney dedicated to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s global health and agricultural programs. He played a lead role in building the Global Health Program for seven years as Associate General Counsel. At the Foundation, Iverson worked closely with staff and grantees in the development of intellectual property management and collaboration agreements, novel financing arrangements (including a leadership role in the establishment of the Foundation’s private equity “Program Related Investments”), product development and global product access.

Previously, Iverson was an attorney at the law firm of Perkins Coie LLP where he represented life science companies in the negotiation of financing transactions, joint ventures, research collaborations, licensing agreements and manufacturing agreements.

Iverson received his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from The University of North Dakota School of Law in 1994 and his Master of Laws (LL.M) in Taxation from New York University School of Law in 1995. He completed his Bachelor of Arts in Business Management and Political Science from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota.