Dr. Dion Hicks has served as the Intellectual Property Advisor at Memorial University’s Research Innovation Office (RIO) since 2023. Originally from a small fishing community in Newfoundland and Labrador, he moved to St. John’s to pursue his education, earning a B.Eng. in Computer Engineering (2008), an M.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering (2012), and a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering (2017) with a focus on mechatronics. With experience working in several startups, Dion has developed prototypes for several electro-mechanical systems, including quadcopters, light-tracking mechanisms, holographic systems, and food inspection machines.