Careers in Intellectual Property (IP) Law
Monday, May 12th, 5:30 – 6:30 PM CST
(Virtual)
Are you a STEM PhD interested in protecting scientific innovations? Join us for a panel discussion with professionals in IP law as they share insights into their careers, daily work, and paths into the field. Learn how to leverage your research background and explore careers as a patent agent or attorney in law firms, pharmaceutical companies, and patent agencies.
Jelena Janjic Libby, PhD
Senior Patent Counselor, Genetech
Jelena is Senior Patent Counsel at Genentech, Inc., a member of the Roche Group. At Genentech, Jelena specializes in intellectual property law, business transactions, contracts, due diligence, regulatory exclusivities, and risk counseling for internal programs, collaborations, and business development. Prior to her corporate tenure, Jelena was a partner at McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP in Chicago, where she focused on patent and trademark work in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space.
Jelena’s journey began with her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, in the fields of synthetic organic and medicinal chemistry. Her research focused on developing a new anti-cancer drug and its potential analogs.
Jacob William Wagner, PhD
Patent Attorney, Wentsler LLC
Dr. Jacob Wagner graduated with undergraduate degrees in Chemistry, Physics, and Polymer Science & Engineering from Case Western Reserve University. He received his PhD in Chemistry from the University of Chicago in 2017. He received his JD from the University of Akron School of Law in 2020. He is a patent attorney, who has worked at the Wentsler LLC law firm in Ohio since 2018, where he is currently a senior associate. In his current role, he conducts state-of-the art searches, drafts patent applications, and handles correspondence with patent offices worldwide. He handles matters related to chemistry, materials, polymers, optics, biomedical, and glass-forming technology.
