Melissa Keen has rapidly emerged as a leader in technology transfer. Since joining the Office of Research and Technology Transfer (ORTT) at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in August 2021, she has already earned three awards: a Civilian Service Achievement Medal for outstanding performance as a Technology Transfer Officer, an ERDC award for Outstanding Innovation in Research and Development for the Submersible Matting System (SUBMAT), and an ERDC Award of Excellence for tremendous leadership, dedication, and contributions to the Research and Development 2024 (RD24) workshop. 

Keen’s command of contractual language and organizational strategy was essential for streamlining the invention disclosure processes and intellectual property (IP) management. She launched several ERDC “firsts,” including pursuing new agreement types and advertising technologies on Sam.gov. She also holds key leadership and communication roles at ERDC and was invited to join the Emerging Leaders Group (ELG) in 2022. The significance of Keen’s contributions to technology transfer advancement is reflected in her impressive and wide-ranging achievements supporting ERDC’s seven laboratories. 

Among other accomplishments, Keen developed ERDC’s first fillable invention disclosure form via PDF, increased provisional patent application use, and created an improved patent licensing workflow. She has been instrumental in simplifying and strengthening ERDC’s technology transfer process. In doing so, Keen has proven excellent and effective at timely and varied negotiations. Her standout achievements include completing an urgent agreement with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) within one day for disaster-relief facility use, negotiating and executing a SUBMAT exclusive license, and finalizing a high-priority Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) within just five weeks, rather than multiple months. 

As an ELG and Strategic Communications Group member, Keen is uniquely positioned to enhance ERDC’s presence in the technology community and promote better communication across the institution for coordinated technology transfer success. In these roles, Keen has helped plan several industry events, served on panels, facilitated roadshows for ERDC labs, compiled Ignite — the ORTT quarterly technology transfer newsletter — and mentored new employees. 

In 2024, SUBMAT received the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ prominent Innovation of the Year Award. Once the technical team with industry partner Nearshore Logistics determined they should engage with ORTT to protect its new IP, Keen volunteered to guide the inventors through the technology transfer and IP protection process. In the past three years, Keen has processed more than 70 agreements and amendments to facilitate ERDC partnerships and has received and managed one-third of the total invention disclosures submitted by ERDC innovators since 2022. 

The impact of Keen’s extraordinary service is profound. She excels at interdepartmental and interagency collaboration, delivering numerous benefits and successes to ERDC. She has become an exemplary mentor to interns and other employees and an ace planner for ERDC’s highest-profile events. Keen’s exceptional leadership, communication, and mastery of technology transfer mechanisms help bolster ERDC as a technology powerhouse.