Tom O'Neal Associate Vice President of Research and Director of the UCF Technology Incubator, University of Central Florida

Tom currently serves as the Associate Vice President of Research at UCF and Director of the UCF Technology Incubator. O’Neal has been part of UCF’s Office of Research and Commercialization teamworking to help UCF become a leading metropolitan research university. O’Neal areas of responsibility include the sponsored programs office, technology transfer, compliance, and the UCF technology incubator.

Tom has a long history as an entrepreneur and has assisted in the formation of several spin-off companies for technologies developed at UCF. In 1999, he was a key member of a collaborative effort that resulted in the establishment of the UCF Technology Incubator in the Central Florida Research Park. The Incubator was recently named the Incubator of the Year at the annual international conference held by the National Business Incubator Association. Tom also serves as a core team member of the Florida High Tech Corridor Council.

O’Neal established partnerships for the Incubator with both the University and the Central Florida community to provide tools and resources that enhance the prospects for the success of developing companies. He also assembled a distinguished Advisory Board for the Incubator consisting of Central Florida business professionals that provide valuable assistance to the Incubator and more importantly, the clients it serves.

Tom joined the UCF staff as the Associate Director for the Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL) in 1991. In this capacity, he was responsible for the business and administrative functions of the Center. The Center evolved into one of the top centers for education and research in optical sciences and engineering.

Prior to joining UCF, Tom served as a Technology Specialist and Financial Director for a $40 million project with the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency for Florida’s state university system. His position before that was that of project engineer for a computer manufacturing company based in Clearwater Florida.

O’Neal received his Ph.D in Industrial Engineering, his Master of Science in Engineering Management, and his Master of Business Administration from the University of Central Florida and his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of South Florida.