Life Sciences Patent Agent

Life Sciences Patent Agent

This role is within Duke University's Office for Translation and Commercialization (OTC) and is for a skilled patent agent who can provide advice and counseling to the University on a broad range of life sciences-related scientific and patent issues. This key member of the OTC legal team will report to the Director - Legal Affairs and will be responsible for providing IP legal support to the University community at various stages of development. The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of patent law and bring creative and strategic approaches to protecting Duke University inventions.

This position is on-site and will be located in Durham, NC.

About Duke OTC : Through direct, daily interaction with faculty, small and large businesses, and venture investors, we build strong relationships and enter into agreements to translate academic discoveries into commercial products that benefit society, impact public health, and improve the quality of life.

Key Responsibilities

• Assisting and managing global patent portfolios for Duke-related inventions.
• Providing strategic IP counsel to internal stakeholders, including strategic guidance on patent portfolio development and management and patentability assessments.
• Collaborating with faculty and OTC team members to identify and protect intellectual property.
• Managing and maintaining internal patent dockets and IP management databases.
• Able to manage and review patent-related invoices.
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with external counsel, licensees and internal Duke stakeholders.
• Managing lifecycle of patent portfolios for both licensed and unlicensed portfolios.
• Able to read and understand a variety of contracts, including sponsored research agreements, consulting agreements, and material transfer agreements, and the ability to collaborate effectively with research, business development, and legal teams.
• Performing other related duties incidental to the work described herein.

The above statements describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this classification. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties required of personnel so classified.

Required Qualifications at this Level

Education / Training :

Work requires a Bachelor's degree in biological / life sciences, or engineering / physical sciences or computing sciences / information technology. The Patent Agent must be registered with the USPTO.

Experience :

Work requires four years patent law and / or procedure experience drafting patent applications and managing patent prosecution in an academic, government, industrial and / or law firm environment for engineering technologies. Preferred candidates will have at least 1 year experience in an academic technology transfer office. Candidates who possess an advanced degree, which exceeds the degree minimum requirement, may count the additional education obtained from the degree completion towards the minimum work experience qualifications. OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATION AND / OR EXPERIENCE

Skills :

Life sciences-related degrees and work experience preferred. Excellent writing, analytic and communication skills. Strong collegial interpersonal skills exercising diplomacy with an ability to communicate effectively in person and through other communication mediums. Ability to work independently and / or within various organizational teams. Must be able to prioritize and manage the assigned caseloads and manage deadlines. Highly organized with attention to detail and thoroughness in completing assigned duties. Collaborative problem solver who can take initiative and set priorities while being flexible. Proficiency in using scientific and IP databases. Understanding of the university technology transfer process.

Duke University is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, (including pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions), sexual orientation, or military status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas-an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions

Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and / or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.