Dr Claire Thorne

Claire leads the innovation agenda at University of Surrey. This includes strategic partnerships, new ventures, technology transfer and commercialisation, incubation and entrepreneurship activities. She took up this post in October 2018. 

Prior to this, Claire shaped innovation, industrial strategy, entrepreneurship and technology transfer at Imperial College London (2013-2018) in the office of the Vice President – Innovation. She worked across business, policy and research, informing and influencing Imperial’s President, industry executives, CSAs and Ministers at BEIS, DCMS, MOD and UKRI.

With in-depth expertise of the science and technology innovation ecosystem, Claire understands the value of university-industry engagement for fundamental research and application. 

Claire has domain-specific expertise in digital, smart infrastructure, and security and defence. She co-authored Imperial’s (2016) Review of Technology Transfer and Translation (pdf). She supported the former Chair of Mayor of London’s Smart London Board; she was seconded to MOD to support NEDs in developing innovation strategy; and she created a defence, security and space cluster in partnership with corporate innovation labs and accelerators. 

Claire holds a PhD in Astroparticle Physics from Imperial College London and Masters in Physics from University of Warwick. She lives in Surrey and is a Governor at her local infant school.