About Josh Estavillo and Rakhi Gibbons

From the Office of the General Counsel website

Josh Estavillo advises the University primarily in the areas of Research and Research Compliance. This usually entails working with issues such as conflicts of interest, export controls, research integrity/misconduct, confidentiality, and other contract-related issues. In addition, he also has occasion to advise and work in the areas of employment law, copyrights and trademarks, and public records.

Mr. Estavillo started in the University's Office of the General Counsel in October 2007. During that time, he has had the opportunity to work with administrators, faculty, and staff across campus, including the Office of Research and Discovery, the Provost’s Office, Steward Observatory, the College of Optical Sciences, the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, and the College of Engineering, to name a few.

Mr. Estavillo earned his Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, in English from the University of California, Riverside in 1997. In 2004, Mr. Estavillo earned a Double Master of Arts with High Distinction in English Literature and Teaching Writing from Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. Mr. Estavillo graduated from the University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law, in 2007, during which time he also interned with the University's Office of the General Counsel.

Rakhi Gibbons is Tech Launch Arizona’s (TLA) Director of Licensing. She has over fifteen years of experience in the life sciences industry from research, to startup experience and university technology transfer. In her role as director, she oversees all licensing operations at Tech Launch Arizona. Throughout her history with TLA, Rakhi has worked closely with faculty and researchers particularly in the Arizona Health Sciences Center (AHSC), and life sciences departments across the university overseeing intellectual property. Prior to joining the UA, she served on the licensing team in the University of Michigan’s Office of Technology Transfer. Rakhi has substantial experience in intellectual property, licensing, technology and contract management, conflict of interest, and startup formation. In addition to her background in business, she has practical knowledge of life sciences through research with a biotech company in northern California, and Stanford University in the areas of molecular biology and genomics. 

She holds a Master's in Applied Biosciences from the University of Arizona, and a Bachelor's in Biological Sciences from University of California, Santa Barbara.

Co-sponsored by Latin American Studies