WIB-Seattle: Intellectual Property Careers Panel

On the evening of Wednesday, May 28, the WIB-Seattle chapter hosted a virtual career panel exploring the many paths into careers in intellectual property (IP) and technology transfer in the life sciences. We are so grateful to everyone who joined us and brought such thoughtful questions and energy to the conversation. The evening was expertly guided by our moderator, Tracy Vrablik (Senior Associate, Foley Hoag), who brought warmth, humor, and deep expertise to the discussion. We were thrilled to welcome an outstanding lineup of panelists, each offering a distinct vantage point on IP and tech transfer careers: Lindsie Goss (Senior Director, Business Development, Outpace Bio), Kate Mead (Partner, Lee & Hayes), Kamya Rajaram (Business Development Manager, Seattle Children’s Research Institute), and Christina Jordan (Senior Director, Intellectual Property, Tune Therapeutics).

Our panelists pulled back the curtain on what IP and tech transfer work really looks like day-to-day, and how those roles differ across a law firm, a research institute, and in-house at a biotech — from drafting applications and negotiating with examiners, to assessing commercial viability, licensing, spin-outs, and partnering strategy. A recurring theme was the joy of being a lifelong learner. As Christina put it, "my job is to learn," and the panelists spoke candidly about the trickiest part of moving from the bench into IP: translating science into strong patent claims and getting comfortable not being the expert in the room.

The group offered generous, practical advice for breaking into the field — fellowships and volunteer assessments at tech transfer offices, and technical specialist roles at law firms (some of which can fund law school). Above all, they emphasized the power of networking: the Seattle patent community is small, close-knit, and genuinely kind. As Kamya encouraged, "don’t hesitate, reach out — folks are happy to help and pay it forward." Other threads included demystifying misconceptions about patents and their role in bringing life-saving technologies to market, setting boundaries to avoid burnout, and how AI is reshaping the field while making its human, relationship-driven aspects even more valuable.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to Tracy and our four incredible panelists for so generously sharing their time and insight, to our dedicated WIB-Seattle volunteers who made the evening possible, and to our chapter sponsors, whose ongoing support makes programming like this possible. And to everyone who attended and asked such thoughtful questions: thank you for investing in yourself and in this community.

Submitted by Abby Wall