About Kieran
I enjoy helping innovators in the life sciences protect and commercialise their inventions.
Kieran is a Trans-Tasman registered patent attorney specialising in the life sciences, with a particular focus on biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.
Before becoming a patent attorney, Kieran was a Clinical Pharmacology Scientist at GSK, and held Postdoctoral Fellowships at St Vincent’s Hospital in Australia, the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology in Germany and the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.
His doctoral and post-doctoral research focused on various aspects of neurobiology and neuroimmunology, and he has authored peer reviewed articles in journals such as Journal of Experimental Medicine, Neurobiology Disease and Cytotherapy.
A desire to be closer to the interface between research and clinical application led Kieran to pursue a career in IP, first as a Patent Examiner at the Australian Patent Office and then as a Patent Attorney.
Assisting international biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in obtaining patent protection in Australia and New Zealand, Kieran also works with Australian companies to obtain commercially relevant and globally aligned patent protection. His roles range from advising start-ups on patent strategy to managing the patent portfolios of ASX listed companies.
Kieran provides extensive experience in all aspects of patent prosecution and portfolio management, including:
- Drafting patent specifications.
- Filing and prosecuting patent applications.
- Managing patent portfolios and providing strategic advice.
- Preparing and prosecuting applications for pharmaceutical patent term extensions.
- Preparing patent validity and infringement advice, and freedom to operate opinions.
- Conducting patent oppositions.
- Patent watching and searching.
- Filing and prosecuting plant breeder’s rights applications.
Kieran is actively involved in the research community and the wider patent attorney profession, and is currently serving as an Australian representative on the Asian Patent Attorneys Association’s Patents Committee.
He authors articles and updates on Australian and New Zealand patent law, and gives presentations at innovation hubs, universities and conferences.
Awards
- Ranked as ‘Recommended Individual’ by IAM Patent 1000, 2022-2023
- Recognised as a ‘Notable Practitioner’ by IP Star, Managing Intellectual Property
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Science (Hons), University of Sydney
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Sydney
- Master of Industrial Property (Intellectual Property Law), University of Technology, Sydney
- Registered Trans-Tasman Patent Attorney
- Registered Trade Marks Attorney, Australia
Memberships
- Institute of Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia (IPTA)
- Asian Patent Attorney Association (APAA)
- Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand (IPSANZ)
- International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI)
- AusBiotech
