Hi! My name is Hannah and I work as a patent engineer. Patent engineers are very similar to patent scientists, patent professionals, and patent specialists. These titles are sometimes used interchangeably as well. As a patent engineer, I work as a technology specialist with a law firm to assist in the preparation and prosecution of patents. Prior to this role, I completed my Ph.D. in biomedical engineering where I developed computational tools to study how drugs interact with dopamine pathways. As a result of my background, I primarily work with inventions related to artificial intelligence and blockchain in biotechnology.
What do patent engineers do?
Patent law is a great career path for scientists and engineers who are passionate about science communication. I help ensure that the communication between inventors and attorneys is well understood on all sides. Additionally, I write scientifically accurate material for patent applications and design figures that help general audiences understand the invention. Patent engineers are typically hired after completing a PhD or extensive industry experience within a STEM field. Patent engineers often complete further education to become a patent agent or patent attorney, but it isn’t required. I plan on going to law school someday and expand upon my practice to include patent litigation.
Although I primarily work with biotechnology clients, patent law gives me the opportunity to work with a broad range of applications and I get to learn about new tech all the time. Some of my favorite non-medical tech areas to work with are finance (‘fintech’), video game design, cosmetics, and any ‘math heavy’ machine learning inventions. If you like to keep up with current trends in popular science, patent law is a very exciting career path.
What are the pros and cons of transitioning from research to patent law?
Patent law as a field includes many enthusiastic individuals who LOVE to talk about science and engineering. In comparison to the “highs and lows” of academic research, I only interface with research staff after a big win. Every client you meet loves to share their work with you and for the overwhelming majority of the time, you are meeting with very happy scientists and engineers. Every practitioner (attorneys, agents, and specialists) I work with loves to discuss science. When I’m not getting to be the very first person a scientist shares their exciting news with, I’m having lively discussions with my colleagues about the innovations we learned about that week and how we can best articulate the magic of each idea in writing. While technical writing of specifications is tedious and requires a close attention to detail, it brings me more joy than academic writing styles as the goal of patent writing is not to impress other scientists—it is to make the information as accessible and transparent as possible for any reader with any background level. In particular, I am passionate about the use of figures to illustrate complex ideas in simple ways. If you find yourself often thinking of new ways to explain exciting aspects of your coursework or research to family and friends, you are a great candidate for transitioning to patent law.
However, patent law may not be for you if you do not enjoy writing, giving presentations, or frequently speaking with new people. As much as I enjoy my job, it isn’t all fun and games – the level of focus required to read and write in large quantities takes a lot of mental energy. Be prepared for long stretches of writing sessions with countless rounds of critique and revision, consistent reading lists, and being asked to give technical explanations to a wide range of audiences on the fly. While some people love the interactive teamwork environment involved in patent writing, many engineers love the individual solitude of programming alone without interruption. Additionally, participating in the development of projects, troubleshooting experiments, and hands-on science are not part of the role whatsoever.
How do you recommend I pursue a career in patent law as a STEM professional?
I’ll start with a bit about my path so far. I started working in research as an undergraduate student while studying biochemistry and math. I switched to computational research to engage with both fields and fell in love with the interdisciplinary aspect of the theoretical world. Every project involved a little bit of everything: computer science, mathematics, biology, chemistry, and physics. In addition to loving the research, the flexibility of working from a laptop provided an accessible route for me to participate in the scientific community while being treated for chronic illness. Despite struggling with disability, I stayed in research for eleven years and received my PhD along the way. I began participating in science communication to share my experience and found my niche in math outreach. I couldn’t be happier to have found a permanent career path where I get to write about math all day!
For students who are interested in patent law, I strongly recommend that they take advantage of any opportunity they can to practice communicating STEM. Publishing journal articles and speaking at conferences are great, but so are social media “scicomm” accounts, blog submissions, and volunteer outreach events. My publication record and science communication background (such as Instagram posts, podcast interviews, tutorial guides, and virtual mentoring) were key factors in my path to patent law. The more well-rounded your resume, the better. Whereas some traditional research environments may place high value on niche specialization, being a jack of all trades with interdisciplinary experience is a big strength for communication-related fields. Additionally, the so-called “soft skills” that are often undervalued in some areas of STEM are non-negotiable for working with patents. Make sure that you feel comfortable with teamwork, conflict resolution, communication skills, and project management! Many of my colleagues also have PhDs, but others have an undergraduate/master’s degree and bring other kinds of hands-on experience to the table. In my experience, the demographic is much more diverse in engineering patent law than traditional engineering roles in terms of gender, race, and age.
To learn more about math accessibility and overcoming math anxiety, inclusivity in STEM, or discuss careers in patent law further, feel free to reach out on social media!
LinkedIn: Hannah W. Shows, Ph.D.
Instagram: @dr.hannahwillow
Twitter: @HannahWShows
