West Branch graduate Dr. Katelyn Houston has been selected as Warrior Watch’s Alumni Watch for the month of April. She is currently the Director of Commercialization at the East Tennessee State University Research Corporation. 

Houston graduated from West Branch in 2008 as valedictorian. During her time there, she played basketball, ran cross-country, and participated in ski club, student government and the National Honor Society, among other activities.

Reflecting on her experience, Houston said, “One of my favorite things about growing up at a smaller high school was that, while cliques existed, it was easier for me not to pigeonhole myself in one area. I am a liberal arts, cross-disciplinary researcher and a cross-sector partnership advocate in my career today, and I firmly believe the roots of that were sparked at WB, where I could be an athlete, thespian and club participant all at the same time.”

After high school, she attended Juniata College, where she initially majored in biochemistry on a pre-medical track but later switched to chemistry. During her time there, professors encouraged her interest in both science and the arts. She became involved in directing and participated in a two-week theater and art course in France. She then went on to graduate school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a National Science Foundation Fellowship. During her time there, she worked on new medications for CAT scans and industrial applications, such as high-performing engineering plastics.

In her current role as the Director of Commercialization at ETSU, she supports innovation and commercialization activities across all of ETSU’s campuses and the Research Corporation. She serves as the connective tissue between the science and scholarship happening in their labs and the broader world. Houston notes, “Commercialization, in plain terms, is the process of taking research out of the lab and turning it into something that benefits society — a new product, a new therapy, a database, or a company. It’s the “so what” of science. We do world-class research here at ETSU; my job is to help people make sure that work doesn’t just live in an academic journal, but actually reaches people.” 

Houston also added, “Over the next several years, my goal is to build a robust, sustainable innovation ecosystem at ETSU, where ETSU is known regionally and nationally as a university that bridges discovery and impact. 

The entire Warrior Watch staff wishes Houston much success in her future endeavors.