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Robb Olsen
Science of Innovation * Venturing * Lead Instructor AIM HI/Innovatrium * Founder TransOrbital Dynamics
Professional Background
Robb Olsen is a dynamic innovator and a thought leader with a remarkable career spanning over 35 years in industry, 15 years in academia, and 5 years with startups. His passion lies in harnessing the power of innovation science to foster a healthy and fulfilling future for humanity by generating new value for deserving organizations. Through his extensive experience, Robb has successfully crafted innovative solutions that range from organizational practices to cutting-edge products and services. His mission is clear: to collaborate and build a brighter future together.
Robb's contributions in academia include establishing robust partnerships among industry, academia, government, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). These partnerships not only foster transformative innovation but also enhance educational experiences for students across various disciplines. He has held prominent roles such as adjunct professor, executive in residence, board member, program leader, and principal investigator (PI) for multi-million dollar research and innovation programs. His visionary approach to education emphasizes teaching the most effective innovation paradigms and processes, ensuring that the next generation of innovators is well-equipped for success.
Leading his consultancy, TransOrbital Dynamics, Robb is dedicated to guiding organizations towards innovative excellence. By providing mentorship to senior managers and coaching programs from the discovery phase to commercialization, he helps teams and leaders craft narratives that transform collaborative visions into tangible successes. Robb's IDEI innovation framework stands out for its blend of traditional models like Design Thinking and Lean Startup, incorporating the latest advancements in behavioral science and drawing upon decades of industry experience. This unique approach has enabled him to uncover billions in market potential, actively turning ideas into reality.
At Procter & Gamble, Robb played a critical role in building some of the world’s most recognized and beloved brands. With a talent for leadership, he managed global communities and teams, executing innovative strategies that led to significant growth opportunities. His global leadership roles involved heading up the Products Research community of practice, commercializing new platform technologies, developing new innovation models, and spearheading the digital transformation of R&D through web-enabled technology initiatives. With each market initiative he led, Robb consistently achieved remarkable results, which contributed to numerous patents in the innovation space.
Education and Achievements
Robb Olsen's educational background is as impressive as his professional journey. He has pursued advanced learning in various fields, including a combined Master’s and MBA equivalent in technical management at Procter & Gamble. His passion for innovation and leadership led him to study under various prestigious programs and institutions, including:
- Industry Innovator in Residence: Founder & Adjunct Professor at Northwestern University's Intersect CPG Innovation Accelerator.
- Advanced Research Programs in Behavioral Science for Innovation, which he sponsored, at Nanyang Technological University and the University of Michigan.
- Certified Professional Innovator Certificate from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.
- MS in Engineering Design Innovation from Northwestern University.
- BS in Chemical Engineering from The University of Toledo.
Furthermore, Robb's contributions as an advisory board member in programs focused on engineering design and innovation, as well as integrated product development, underscore his commitment to fostering cutting-edge educational experiences and preparing students for future challenges in the evolving landscape of innovation.
Achievements
Throughout his distinguished career, Robb Olsen has amassed a myriad of notable achievements across industry, academia, and consultancy. Among these are:
- Developed and executed multiple innovative product initiatives within Procter & Gamble that achieved over 10% volume growth, contributing significantly to market success.
- Led global teams and established large communities of practice which encouraged collaboration and accelerated the pace of innovation across product research sectors.
- Successfully created and commercialized several new platform technologies, identifying opportunities exceeding billions of dollars in potential market impact.
- Pioneered the Behavioral Science for Innovation program, utilizing empirical experiments to refine and enhance innovation processes within organizations.
- As the principal investigator for various multi-million dollar research programs, Robb has effectively nurtured creativity and innovation at multiple organizational levels, bolstering both educational outcomes for students and impactful results for partnering organizations.
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Highlights
We wrapped up the inaugural Duke University Pratt School of Engineering Design Defense Studio this week, hurricane not withstanding! In just 9 weeks, the student teams, all DoD-members, created fundable propositions for strategically important, tactically relevant DoD challenges: Drone Detection and Evasion, Alternative Positioning Navigation and Timing in GPS-contested environments, and creation of a Common Operating Picture in real time at the tactical edge for the US and Allied Nations.
The DoD students all receive 3 graduate engineering credit hours for the course from Duke AND take back practical innovation skills based on leading-edge innovation science that they will use to advance DoD capabilities in the future.
Super well done, students (listed in the comments), coaches Steven McKnew of ARCWERX and Francis “Frank” Schwagel of USASOC, and DoD sponsoring partner Daniel Smith of ARCWERX!
Our thanks to Pratt Engineering Dean Jerry Lynch, Brad Fox, Associate Dean of Masters Programs, Luis Morales, Executive Director of the Master of Engineering Management Program, and the dedicated staff at Duke and ARCWERX, whose active support and guidance were critical to the success of Design Defense Studio.
If you'd like more information about Design Defense Studio, please reach out to me or Professor Kate Olsen.
Mark your calendars for Design Defense Studio 2025 that kicks off 12 May with final pitches 17 July!
Duke University, Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), NSIN - National Security Innovation Network, Air Force Research Laboratory, Air National Guard, United States Air Force, Army Futures Command.
#DesignDefenseStudio
