The Associate Vice President for Technology Partnerships is responsible for fostering research partnerships among the University and academic, corporate, public, government, and venture communities. Charles has a special focus on intellectual property and technology-related partnerships that further the societal impact and reach of the University's research.

A biochemist by training, Charles has straddled the worlds of academia and business throughout his career. Following a First Class Joint Honors Degree in Biochemistry and Microbiology and a Ph.D. in Microbial Biochemistry from the University of London, Charles was awarded an Industrial Fellowship in Cambridge under the supervision Sir Hans Kornberg. His time there during the early stages of the Cambridge Phenomenon involved him in both bench research and in an intermediary role between the University and the biotechnology community on the emerging Trinity Science Park.

This expertise in technology commercialization was valuable when he worked in a position at Cambridge Life Sciences PLC and subsequently for five years at Arthur D. Little, Inc. He was recruited to the Centre for Exploitation of Science and Technology in London, a science policy think-tank funded predominantly by industry and reporting to the UK Cabinet formed by the Thatcher government. CEST advised government and industry on long-term emerging industrial markets for the UK and the alignment of the Science and Education budgets to meet these perceived opportunities. This was a quite unique and challenging experience in which he took a major role, nationally and globally, interfacing between research bodies, universities and companies. In 1995, Charles formed his own business consulting on technology transfer and commercialization and high-technology start-ups in the biotechnology domain.