Elicia Maine

Elicia Maine is the W.J. VanDusen Professor of Innovation & Entrepreneurship, at the Beedie School of Business. She is also the Founder of the Invention to Innovation (i2I) program, a "mini MBA" in Science & Technology Commercialization, which develops entrepreneurial mindset in graduate scientists and engineers. In partnership with Mitacs, the i2I program is now being delivered in a hybrid online format across Canada. It was recognized with an international award from the global business school accreditation council and contributed to SFU being ranked once more as Canada's number one university for innovation, number one in the world for entrepreneurial spirit and number one in Canada for industrial applications in the 2022 World's Universities with Real Impact rankings. 

Professor Maine has deep interdisciplinary roots, with degrees in Materials Engineering, English, Technology & Policy and Technology Management from Queen’s, M.I.T., and the University of Cambridge. Her research, published in Research Policy and Technovation as well as in Nature Materials and Nature Nanotechnology, focuses on the dynamics of innovation in the advanced materials, nano-materials, biotechnology, and clean tech sectors with a focus on science and technology ventures. She cares deeply about the impact that university inventions can make in solving large societal challenges, such as climate change and treating or preventing disease. She is a frequent and dynamic keynote speaker and panelist, serves on the Boards of Directors of the Foresight Clean Tech Accelerator, Innovate BC, Circle Innovation and the Composites Knowledge Network, and is an active mentor to scientist-entrepreneurs. Professor Maine was awarded the 2017 TD / Canada Trust Distinguished Teaching Award and was recognized as B.C.'s Top Cleantech Educator in 2022, and one of the province's Most Influential Women 2018: STEM Stars.

As Special Advisor on Innovation to the VPRI from 2020 to 2022, Maine provided incredible leadership to mobilize SFU's innovation strategy and champion the many innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives by SFU students, staff and faculty.

As SFU's inaugural Associate Vice-President, Knowledge Mobilization and Innovation, she oversees several university-wide strategic initiatives, programs and units such as: SFU Innovates; the Community-Engaged Research initiative; SFU Knowledge Mobilization; and the Technology Licensing Office.

Together with the VPRI and AVPR, Maine supports excellence in research, innovation and knowledge mobilization at SFU.