What drew you to the law?

I came to the law by way of physical science.  My hope was to go into medicine, and I majored in chemistry.  The legal profession was interesting but seemed remote, something for political science and economics majors.  It was only after college that I learned how much a scientific mindset can enrich legal thinking.  For me, it was important to build on my past training, and so I entered law school with a particular focus and interest in patent law.

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

I enjoy helping my students develop the ability to solve problems that they have not seen before.  Law students are intelligent and curious people, and they deserve to be challenged and tested in ways that put their potential to the best and highest uses.  My job is to guide them toward that fuller and clearer understanding for which we have long regarded law as one of the learned professions.

What do you hope students gain from your courses?

Patience and perspective.  I am lucky enough teach several subjects that cut across disciplines: patent law, administrative law, remedies, and—most foundationally—civil procedure.  So my students are being introduced to large frameworks with detailed implications.  Navigating these frameworks takes patience.  Mastering them to the point of advising clients and making major decisions builds perspective about our larger obligations as lawyers.

What did you do prior to entering academia?

I served in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, advising the agency’s chief economist and other leadership on patent policy. I was also a faculty fellow at Duke Law School, where I taught patent law and researched bioinformatics innovation as well as economic and tort-theory aspects of patent litigation.

What are you passionate about outside of the law?

Reading non-fiction and listening to music are how I relax.  Traveling, whether to visit family or to explore a new country or language or cuisine, is how I find perspective.

What are your research interests?

My research explores the administrative processes of the U.S. intellectual property system, including how they interact with the federal courts.  Until recently that work focused on the patent system, especially the USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and is now growing to include the copyright, design, and trademark systems as well.  Much of my research is empirical and draws insights from new institutional economics.