Brian Suh, UCR’s senior executive director of technology partnerships, has been appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to serve on a board that safeguards the intellectual property of crop breeders.

Suh’s term on the Department of Agriculture’s Plant Variety Protection Board, or PVPB, will run through December 2026. The PVPB advises the USDA on critical issues surrounding plant variety intellectual property, including rules and regulations for administering the Plant Variety Protection Act. This act protects breeders’ rights over new plant varieties to foster innovation while ensuring farmers’ access to diverse crops.

At UCR, Suh oversees the development, protection, marketing, and commercialization of the university’s groundbreaking research, including its robust plant breeding programs, as well as corporate engagement and community outreach on UCR’s research capabilities and licensing opportunities.

“It is an honor to serve on this important board to provide input to the Secretary of Agriculture at a national level, but it is also a reflection of more than a century of innovative crop breeding at the university that has created an extensive plant intellectual property portfolio, which is now helping to feed the world in a time of climate change,” Suh said.

Since joining UCR’s Office of Technology Partnerships in 2015, Suh has managed the university’s extensive intellectual property portfolio, which includes plant breeding and its innovative varieties of citrus, avocado, asparagus, and other crops. UCR’s agricultural roots trace back to the establishment of the UC Citrus Experiment Station in 1907, which became part of the UCR campus when the university opened in 1954.

These crops include the ‘Tango’ mandarin variety, which alone accounts for nearly 30% of California’s mandarin acreage and contributed an estimated $242.5 million to the state’s mandarin production value during the 2020-2021 season, according to California Department of Food and Agriculture and USDA reports.

Another success is the Luna UCR™ avocado, which TIME magazine recognized as one of its “Best Inventions of 2023” in the Food & Drink category.

Before joining UCR, Suh served as Director of Technology Transfer at SPAWAR Systems Center Pacific, a U.S. Navy laboratory. He received a BS in electrical engineering from Michigan State University and an MBA from the Rady School of Management at the University of California, San Diego. He also holds the Certified Licensing Professional (CLP) certification and the Registered Technology Transfer Professional (RTTP) credential.

"We are immensely proud of Brian Suh for being selected to serve on the USDA Plant Variety Protection Board," said Rodolfo Torres, UCR’s vice chancellor for Research and Economic Development. "This appointment reflects his expertise and dedication to advancing agricultural innovation and underscores UC Riverside’s commitment to supporting impactful research and commercialization efforts to better our community and beyond.

The PVPB, established under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, includes representatives from farming, seed industries, public and private research institutions, and professional associations. Board members provide advice to USDA administrators and make recommendations on procedural matters and appeal decisions regarding plant variety applications.