Patent Agent or Associate (Life Sciences) – Patent Prosecution

REQUIREMENTS

• Ph.D. degree in Molecular Biology, Genetics, Immunology or a related biological science.
• Research background in cell biology, gene therapy, structural biology or immunology.
• USPTO or bar admission required and post-doc preferred.
• Knowledge of life sciences industry.
• A business mindset and a passion for development of cancer therapies and vaccines.
• IP litigation experience or clerkship / judicial internship preferred for associates.
• Patent drafting and searching experience at a law firm for agents.
• Demonstrated skills verbally presenting scientific concepts, terms, and discoveries to wide audiences, including scientists and non-scientists.
• Demonstrated scientific writing ability using proper grammar and vocabulary that also includes the following skills : analyzing and explaining abstract scientific concepts and terms synthesizing a large amount of scientific or technological literature into a systematic and concise description of the state of the art;

and differentiating and describing important differences among related scientific discoveries or technological breakthroughs.

• Ability to balance and prioritize multiple competing priorities and responsibilities, be highly organized and exercise extreme attention to detail.
• Ability to collaborate and work effectively in team settings.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Assess scientific literature, patents and patent applications in a variety of biology fields, including cell biology, cancer biology, immunology, genetics, and molecular biology.

Understand, critique and provide insightful opinion on scientific data relating to inventions.

• Conduct comprehensive searches for scientific articles, patents and patent applications relevant to inventions.
• Perform in-depth analysis comparing inventions with existing technologies.
• Identify essential elements, features or components of invention.
• Compose patent applications comprising a comprehensive background of the field of an invention, a description of critical features and components of the invention, and a set of claims clearly and distinctly defining the invention;

and conduct inventorship determination and analysis.

• Draft responses to rejection of a patent application for an invention from the United States Patent and Trademark Office and other worldwide Patent Offices, providing detailed analysis of the scientific or patent references cited in the rejection, assessing the difference between the invention and the citations, and presenting convincing arguments and reasoning why the patent application is to be allowed as a patent.
• Conduct freedom-to-operate and patentability reviews and analyses on prior art references and patent documents; prepare and review information disclosure statements and similar disclosures for submission before the USPTO and foreign jurisdictions.
• Collaborate with colleagues on various projects; adapt effectively in different team environments; present ideas, reasoning and conclusions in a concise way to colleagues;

provide insightful feedback and arguments to colleagues on their ideas.

Work with clients in prosecuting patent applications; formulate and ask clients questions essential to clarifying the distinct features or properties of the invention;

investigate and respond promptly to clients' inquiries about the prosecution of patent applications.

SUMMARY

Vanguard-IP specializes in the placement of IP / Patent professionals nationwide.

Our focus provides us with a deeper knowledge of our clients' needs, and our candidates' individual talents and career interests.

Our broad network of long-term client relationships also gives us a competitive edge.

Our recruiters all have 10+ years of IP recruiting experience, and an exceptional record of success. We have superior knowledge of the IP job market, and offer trusted career advice for our candidates.

We also have the resources and high level contacts to get your questions answered.

We look forward to speaking with you, and learning more about what you are seeking in your next opportunity.

CONFIDENTIALITY

At Vanguard-IP, we respect the confidentiality of every candidate who contacts us. We will always contact you to obtain explicit prior authorization before submitting your resume to any of our clients.

Should you have an interest in a similar position in another location, we have hundreds of openings in other markets. Please apply now and our team would be happy to review your information for this or other openings in your location of interest.