Patexia would like to congratulate Seth W Perry on a great career as a Patexia Researcher so far.  Seth is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Rochester who joined Patexia in May 2013.  Since joining Seth has participated in 11 contests and received a prize in 10. Seth is a consultant through the Patexia Connect platform.

We interviewed Seth about his Patexia experience, and here is what he had to say:

Q: How did you hear about Patexia?

A: Just about 2 years ago now, I received an email from James McArdle (former Patexia Community Manager), mentioning one of your early contests (the "Neural Progenitor Cells" contest). I've always enjoyed research and information-gathering -- particularly digging up "hard to find" or obscure information and putting the pieces together in perhaps a new way -- and the contest was a good match for my background in biomedical research and Neuroscience, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. As it turns out, I won the contest, and the rest is, as they say, history.

Q: What is your background/area of expertise?

A: I am a biomedical and biophotonics researcher, who works or has worked on research related to cancer, HIV, Neuroscience, and technology development for microscopy, biophotonics, and bioimaging applications. My undergraduate degree was in Biology, my PhD is in Neuroscience, and my primary academic appointment is in Biomedical Engineering. I also have quite a bit of experience in the IP and biotechnology arenas, from patent work to business development and marketing. You might say I like to have my fingers in a number of different pies.

Q: What has been the best part about your experience on Patexia?

A: Well, I like to stay busy and involved in a number of different things, and as I mentioned, I particularly like discovering new or obscure information and synthesizing it in a novel way to support a position or build an argument.  That, to me, is the underlying basis of research no matter what the subject area, so I guess I like being involved in that, and the challenge it represents.

Q: What is the most interesting search result you have found?

A: I'm not sure I can point to one thing in particular, but I've enjoyed the challenge of all the contests I've entered, as each has taught me at least something I didn't know before I entered the contest!

Q: Is there a key event, change, or insight that you think will be critical for the future of IP or your field that members should keep an eye on?

A: Just that the success or failure of so many things in this world -- from patents to medicine to international relations to cybersecurity -- depends on paying attention to the details, and in particular, the right details.  I think the success of the Patexia community illustrates this philosophy very well!

We would like to thank Seth for his contributions to the community, and we look forward to working with him in the future.

Keep an eye out for our Featured Member next month!