Gauri Dhavan (PhD ’99, Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry)

What are your key roles and responsibilities in your current positions? What do you like most about your job and what do you find most challenging? 

I lead a team of intellectual property counsel in managing all aspects of intellectual property, including patent prosecution and portfolio management, intellectual property litigation, risk mitigation, M&A due diligence, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and data security. As a key part of my job, I also advise members of the company management team and other business leaders on IP related issues and strategies.

What I love most about my job is that every day is different and presents me with new challenges/decisions. This is also the most challenging aspect of my job.

 

List or describe the top 5+ professional skills that are crucial to your role. 

  1. Strategic
  2. Intellectual Curiosity
  3. Leadership, Management (both project and people)
  4. Scientific Knowledge

How did your time at Yale shape your career trajectory? For example, what skills and/or experiences did you acquire that have contributed to your career success? 

My time at Yale nurtured my Intellectual Curiosity and deepened my scientific understanding, both in my field and in related fields. It also gave me to skills to acquire the knowledge I need when faced with new fields of endeavor.

 

What were the biggest challenges that you faced when transitioning to different workplaces and cultures? What advice and suggestions can you offer to current students to help them prepare for those challenges?

Transitions are a time of growth. When starting a new job, it is good to go in open minded and observant, so one can adapt to the people and the culture of the new environment.
Work Experience
  • Vice President, Chief Intellectual Property Counsel
  • ZOLL Medical Corporation
Communities
STEM PhD Pathways
Contact
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