Lynn W. Jelinski, the director of the Center for Advanced Technology in Biotechnology and director of the university's Office of Economic Development, will leave Cornell Aug. 1 to become vice chancellor for research and graduate studies at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

A biophysicist with a strong interest in technology transfer, Jelinski came to the university in 1991 as director of the Cornell Biotechnology Program and professor of engineering.

"Thanks to Dr. Jelinski's energetic leadership, Tompkins County and New York state have become places where technology-based businesses can thrive," said Cornell President Hunter Rawlings, noting that 17 biotechnology companies were formed during Jelinski's tenure at the biotechnology center. "She has understood our responsibility as a major research university to help faculty, staff and students move their research from the laboratory to the marketplace and help build a stable and prosperous community."

Before the formation of the Cornell Office of Economic Development in 1997, Jelinski headed the Cornell Office for Technology Access and Business Assistance. The economic-development functions of that unit and of three others -- the Cornell Research Foundation, the Cornell Business and Technology Park and the Center for Advanced Technology in Biotechnology -- were linked when the university strengthened its commitment to the local and statewide economies with the establishment of the Office of Economic Development.