Patent Agent - Research

The Jackson Laboratory; Farmington (CT); Hybrid; USD 106,020 - 153,729; Full time

Job summary

The Jackson Laboratory seeks a Patent Agent – Research to identify, capture, maintain, and protect IP rights across diverse research areas. This hybrid role (2–3 days/week) is based in Bar Harbor, ME or Farmington, CT and reports to the Chief IP Counsel.

You will drive IP strategy, engage researchers, and streamline processes to maximize value and enforce IP rights. A strong candidate has USPTO registration with 5+ years in drafting/prosecution, and a PhD or MS in life sciences with relevant

Qualifications

• Registered to practice before the USPTO with at least 5 years of experience in patent drafting and prosecution.
• PhD in genetics, molecular or cell biology, immunology, biochemistry or comparable life science field preferred.
• MS in genetics, molecular or cell biology, immunology, biochemistry or comparable life science field with at least 4 years experience considered.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic portfolio consulting and maintain strong client interface with research teams.
• Lead drafting, prosecution, and maintenance of patent matters; advise on IP strategy.
• Conduct patent landscape searches, prior art reviews, and freedom-to-operate analyses.
• Support Sponsored Research Administration with patent filing data for reports.
• Present at research reviews and portfolio discussions; participate in regular portfolio reviews.
• Occasional domestic travel may be required; work in a hybrid model (2–3 days/week).

Skills

Patent drafting

Patent prosecution

Strategic portfolio consulting

Communication skills

Presentations

Independent work

Education

PhD in genetics or life sciences

MS in genetics or life sciences

Job description

Tasked with safeguarding the intangible assets of JAX, Patent Agent – Research will identify, capture, maintain, and protect intellectual property rights. This is a unique opportunity to substantially leverage client and strategic portfolio management skills while building and streamlining IP processes to drive efficiencies. The role is crucial to helping researchers navigate complex intellectual property landscapes and develop strategies to secure and enforce IP rights of JAX Research that align with organizational goals and maximize value. A strong candidate can demonstrate the ability to apply scientific expertise together with commercial and legal considerations to support short- and long-term objectives. Outgoing, proactive, and approachable with JAX faculty. Excellent communicator, who is comfortable conducting oral presentations and has experience with academic investigators is required. Ability to work independently. Exhibits intellectual curiosity.

Requirements

• Registered to practice before the USPTO with at least 5 years of experience in patent drafting and prosecution (in-house and/or IP law firm).
• Preferred - PhD in genetics, molecular or cell biology, immunology, cell physiology/biophysics, biochemistry or a comparable life science field with any applicable prior research and/or product development experience.
• Considered - MS in genetics, molecular or cell biology, immunology, cell physiology/biophysics, biochemistry, or a comparable life science field with at least 4 years applicable prior research and/or product development experience.

Key Responsibilities and Essential Functions

• Strong client interface, collaboration, and strategic portfolio consulting skills.
• Partner closely with research teams and cross-functionally (e.g., research, business development) to provide strategic, proactive, and practical guidance regarding intellectual property opportunities, strategies, and risk.
• Present and engaged in research reviews and retreats.
• Support day-to-day IP needs of JAX Researchers across a variety of scientific disciplines.
• Keep a pulse on workstreams, collaborations, and publications.
• Strong awareness of timing (when to disclose, file, publish, engage third parties, etc.).
• Able to identify issues and engage stakeholders when relevant.
• Assist in the review of invention disclosures and patent landscape searches.
• Able to weigh pros/cons of the various forms of IP protection with organizational goals in light of the overarching landscape.
• Influence and engage inventors on their support and collaboration in pursuit of the recommended IP protection strategy/ approach.
• Collaborate with inventors to gather and provide appropriate guidance on technical details, drawings, and experimental data to deliver optimal patent protection.
• Demonstrated ability in setting IP portfolio strategy and implementing through effective patent drafting and prosecution.
• Advise and actively manage strategy, drafting, prosecution, and maintenance of patent matters (both directly and with outside counsel).
• Support regular portfolio review sessions and occasionally prune the portfolio to align with organizational initiatives.
• Conduct patent searches for prior art, patentability, clearance, and freedom-to-operate analyses, both directly and through management of outside counsel.
• Provide Sponsored Research Administration with patent filing data for annual progress reports, renewal applications, award closeouts, and final invention statements reported in iEdison under the Bayh-Dole Act.
• Report inventions and patents that have resulted from federally funded research grants/contracts to the funding agency via iEdison.
• Strong attention to detail, organizational, writing, and project management skills.
• Provide educational presentations and other training on IP matters to JAX employees to build an IP savvy culture.
• Reports to the Chief IP Counsel.
• Occasional domestic travel may be required.
• This is a hybrid position (2-3 days/week), based in Bar Harbor, ME or Farmington, CT.

Pay Range: $106,020 - $153,729 based on total years of related experience.

About JAX

The Jackson Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution with a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center and nearly 3,000 employees in locations across the United States (Maine, Connecticut, California), Japan and China. Its mission is to discover precise genomic solutions for disease and empower the global biomedical community in the shared quest to improve human health. Founded in 1929, JAX applies over nine decades of expertise in genetics to increase understanding of human disease, advancing treatments and cures for cancer, neurological and immune disorders, diabetes, aging and heart disease. It models and interprets genomic complexity, integrates basic research with clinical application, educates current and future scientists, and provides critical data, tools and services to the global biomedical community. For more information, please visit www.jax.org.

EEO Statement

The Jackson Laboratory provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment in all job classifications without regard to race, color, religion, age, mental disability, physical disability, medical condition, gender, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, marital status, national origin, veteran status, and other classifications protected by applicable state and local non-discrimination laws.

Bar Harbor:

The Jackson Laboratory's 43-acre scenic Bar Harbor campus is nestled between the Gulf of Maine and the mountains of Acadia National Park. Some of the best hiking and biking in the world (over 50 square miles of mountains, lakes, views, and dramatic coastline) is accessible from our campus. We are one mile from downtown Bar Harbor, which offers a vibrant downtown district with a plethora of restaurants, shops, museums, and galleries.

Ellsworth:

The Charles E. Hewett Center in Ellsworth, Maine, is a state-of-the-art facility that serves researchers world wide. The facility represents the culmination of nine decades of unmatched experience and leadership in breeding and caring for laboratory mice. Ellsworth, Maine, is one of Maine’s fastest growing cities. With a growth rate of nearly 20%, Ellsworth is a bustling year-round community and acts as a hub for surrounding towns. It is located nearby Acadia National Park and hosts numerous special events, concerts and festivals each year. Residents have access to fabulous shopping, recreation, museums, galleries, and dining at a variety of independent restaurants.

Farmington:

JAX Genomic Medicine is transforming medicine by improving patient care, lowering costs, and increasing life span and health span. JAX Genomic Medicine’s research focuses on the complex genetic causes of disease and on the development of genomic solutions tailored to each person's unique genetic makeup. JAX Genomic Medicine sits on a 17-acre site on the campus of the University of Connecticut Health Center. The 183,500-square-foot facility opened in the fall of 2014. Now, it houses over 300 biomedical researchers, technicians, and support staff in state-of-the-art computing facilities and laboratories. In Connecticut, JAX resides in the scenic town of Farmington, in the state’s capitol region. The Hartford region, which offers some of the best public schools in the country, is made up of both bigger cities and smaller, charming historic New England towns. JAX Genomic Medicine is also geographically located within 2 hours of Boston and New York and is close to multiple transportation systems, including bus lines, highways, railroads and international airports.

Sacramento:

The JAX® Mice, Clinical and Research Services facility is located in Sacramento, the state capital of California. Sacramento is less than a two-hour drive from San Francisco, Napa Valley, and scenic Lake Tahoe, and a short flight to both Los Angeles and Orange County. Sacramento is the birthplace of the nation’s Farm to Fork movement, and offers excellent restaurants, gastro-pubs, wineries, theaters, and museums. Outdoor activities are plentiful: Boating, white water rafting, and riding the scenic bicycle trails are popular. Housing and other costs of living are more affordable in Sacramento and its surrounding suburbs than in most other neighboring areas in the North Bay, making Sacramento one of the hottest housing markets in the country year after year.

Augusta:

JAX’s Maine Cancer Genomics Initiative (MCGI) is located in Augusta, Maine, in the Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care (HACCC), at Maine General Hospital. It began operations in 2016 with three overarching goals: to provide cancer genomic testing for Maine cancer patients; to develop and deliver physician education about clinical genomic cancer diagnostics; and to build a network in Maine of oncology practices conducting studies in genomic medicine.