Women in Science in the Public Service

About the Department... IP Australia is the Australian Government agency responsible for administering patents, trade marks, designs and Plant Breeder’s Rights. It plays an important role in supporting Australia’s economic development by granting these rights, and contributing to the improvement of Australian and international IP systems. It is a prescribed agency within the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources (ITR) but operates independently and reports directly to the Minister.

Job description... I work in the Patent Office, in the Patent Examination Biotechnology sub-section. As a patent

Ines visiting Brisbane

 examiner I review patent applications in order to grant patent rights. Thus, in some instances as patent examiners we are amongst the first to see new and exciting inventions and technological advances in our area of expertise, biotechnology in my case. To give a bit of background: a patent is a right granted for any device, substance, method or process which is new, inventive and useful. A patent is legally enforceable and gives the owner the exclusive right to commercially exploit the invention for the life of the patent, which is a limited period of time. As patent examiners we work with detailed written descriptions of inventions and their associated claims to determine whether they meet the legislative requirements of the Patents Act. Our work is case-based: each examiner has a number of cases for which they are responsible from the examination to the granting stage. Only once we have attained the Delegation of Authority from the Commissioner may we sign the acceptance of a patent, for it to proceed to be granted. We receive a very comprehensive training upon the first 6 months of joining the organisation and to proceed to the Acceptance Delegation level takes approximately three years. But our training is continuous, to keep up to date with changes in the legislation and court rulings.

Background... I have lived in 5 different countries throughout my life, so far…. Primary School was done in Argentina (in Spanish), and Secondary School in Brazil (in Portuguese). We migrated to Australia where I completed my BSc at the University of Sydney and a BSc (Hons) 1st Class at Macquarie University. I was successful in attaining scholarships to study for my PhD at the University of Cambridge at Trinity College / the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology. When I completed those studies I held a postdoctoral position at Princeton University, USA and upon returning to Australia I held postdoctoral positions in both academic and industrial environments. While I was working full time as a postdoc I completed a Grad Dip in Business Administration, Bond University. In the late 90’s I returned to Argentina and there I completed a Post Graduate Course in Intellectual Property at the Law Faculty of the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Have you encountered negative stereotyping? Not really. The Patent Office in IP Australia employs both experienced professionals and graduates in science or engineering and I have not perceived any negative stereotyping coming from an academic environment.

Best/worst job aspects? I love the variety of inventions I get to examine and the fact that sometimes we are seeing the inventions before they have been published. Also compared to research jobs, this position is more secure and it offers a variety of venues in which one can advance. It also offers a very flexible working environment with a good life/work balance. In exchange for that working environment, we have to meet challenging targets as we are both customer and production focused, operating in a competitive environment.

Staying in touch with science... As part of my job I am constantly updating my knowledge. When assessing a patent I have to gain knowledge of the specific field by reading not only the application but also its relevant background. We are also offered the opportunity to attend conferences and meetings to keep up to date.

Gender balance at work... In our section we have a good balance between male and female professionals, and this balance is seen at the higher levels as well. Our Commissioner and one of our Deputy Commissioners are females.

Advice for beginners... Quoting Douglas Adams, of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” fame, I would say “Don’t Panic”. There is a whole, big world outside academia. There are lots of opportunities where we can apply not only our knowledge but also the tools that we developed as scientists in a different setting, allowing us to grow and leave a meaningful contribution. Given the changes that are taking place in Science I would encourage any young scientist to be aware of their intellectual property and how to protect it.

How do you relax? Canberra is a lovely place to be. I enjoy the pace of life here, the scenery all around this planned city, as well as the number of cultural events offered. Also I travel quite a bit, and give thanks for the advances in technology that allow me to keep in touch with family and friends who are distributed around the globe!