Roshni earned a Masters in Biology from India, followed by PhD in Developmental Genetics from St. John’s University, New York. And She also specialized in patent law. Roshni is currently an Associate at the boutique law firm, Lando & Anastasi. Here is Roshni’s journey from lab to patent law.
When did you decide to switch from a bench to non-bench role?
Roshni: The decisive moment for me to switch from an academic to an industrial career was during my final years of Ph.D. I was working on transgenic flies during Ph.D. As some of you might be aware, it takes time from the initial setup to get the final phenotype readouts. I clearly remember one of my experiments that I had started during my third year took me almost nine months to finish and the outcome was that it failed! I tried and failed again, and that was the time when I seriously contemplated transitioning into a different career other than a scientist. I was an uninformed Ph.D. student at that time and didn’t know of other career options in science after doing a Ph.D., apart from being a postdoctoral researcher or an industry scientist. I started attending career seminars and realized that there are several career options that I was not aware of and I became interested in pursuing patent law as a career after speaking to a few patent attorneys who were formerly scientists.
What steps did you take to transition into patent law?
Roshni: At the time when I was contemplating switching to law as a career option, many people I interacted with suggested that I do an internship at law firm or in an university technology transfer office. Although my chances of securing an internship were slim to none due to my student visa status, I still applied mentioning if anybody would like some free labor! After applying at a lot of places, I heard back from two; – a small independent tech consulting company run by a former technology transfer head of Cornell University and from a non-profit organization. From both the internships, I learnt the basics about patenting and licensing. So, in my final year I was writing my PhD thesis and juggling between 2 internships at two different offices! There were no formal internship programs for learning patent law; so, I emailed all the technology transfer offices located in New York, offering to volunteer. This gamble paid off and two tech transfer offices allowed me to volunteer. I also took a certificate course in Patent law while balancing everything else. It was indeed a crazy period, but I managed to sail through! Overall this experience gave me a lot of confidence while applying for my future job at Regeneron.
Tell us about your first job and career progress in patent law.
Roshni: After PhD, I moved to a biotechnology company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals as a patent liaison. During my final years of Ph.D. I had volunteered to organize a career development seminar that involved inviting former scientists who went on to pursue non-academic careers. When I was interviewing for Regeneron, I found out two invited speakers from the career development seminar were friends with my interviewer. Apparently, they passed on very positive recommendations about me! So, I maintain that extending your genuine self and warmth during networking events always helps you.
At Regeneron, I wrote the patent bar exam administered by USPTO to practice as a patent agent. I worked at Regeneron for 7 years in different roles. During this period, one of my colleagues suggested that I get a degree in law so that I can practice as an attorney. I enrolled in the evening law program at Fordham Law School and attended classes after office. I completed the degree in 2019 and subsequently took the New York Bar exam to be admitted to practice as an attorney.
How does your previous training in STEM help you at present in your career?
Roshni: My training in STEM helps me absorb an unknown subject in a relatively short time. It also helps me analyze problems and come up with solutions in an organized way. Let me try to exemplify this with a small incident. A few days back, one of the senior associates from my office needed me to examine patents and literature regarding carbon nanotubes, an area that I didn’t know anything about. I had to skim through patents and articles to provide him a detailed review within a short period of time. I strongly believe due to my previous background in STEM, I could provide a detailed overview within a stringent deadline. Moreover, STEM always helps while I face any kind of trouble, big or small, as my “how to solve this problem” mode kicks in and the methods I used in STEM always come to my rescue.
What are the attributes that attracted you to your present career choice?
Roshni: Practicing patent law allows me to learn about the most recent developments in science which gives me vicarious pleasure. Also, I always felt post doctoral salaries do not match a PhD’s worth, thus, salary was definitely one of the key attributes that helped me make this decision. In addition, the other aspects of a business such as business development and marketing always attracted me and I learnt a lot. Another attribute that attracted me immensely to this job was work from home flexibility. My husband is a professor and suffers from Stargardt syndrome (a cognitive genetic disorder due to which he has limited vision). Thus, it was not practical for both of us to keep irregular hours at our jobs and work from home flexibility gave me enough time to focus on both my professional and personal lives.
Did you encounter any bottlenecks while you were preparing to make the transition?
Roshni: Apart from visa issues, I don’t consider other things that came along the way as bottlenecks since it was part of learning curve. My application was not considered by a few companies since I would have needed visa sponsorship. One of the key factors for me to consider companies to apply for during my job search was whether the companies were willing to sponsor work visa and this helped me significantly in narrowing down my options.
Another issue that I came across was when I wanted to do a certificate course in law. Generally, the course only gave scholarships to US residents, thus, as an international student, I was ineligible to receive any monetary support. Yet, I wrote to the course organizer asking if they can help. Surprisingly, they provided a partial scholarship which allowed me to take the course. Thus, I strongly believe that reaching out to people certainly helps a great deal in achieving your goals.
While making career-related decisions, do you have any mentors?
Roshni: I try to learn from everyone. I have been fortunate in finding mentors in unlikely places. One of them is a leading patent attorney who was involved in an extremely important pharmaceutical litigation. It so happened that I interviewed with her for a job, although the position didn’t work out, I emailed her with a big thank you note. She responded and invited me for a coffee, and from there on we struck a very healthy mentor-mentee relationship. Whenever I have any doubts, I approach her with my queries and she guides me. Besides that, I have a huge support network that I can approach for career related advice. I always try to value and keep my relationships alive and that helped me significantly to shape my career.
How do you keep yourself updated with recent developments in your field?
Roshni: I keep myself updated with the recent developments in the IP and pharmaceutical sectors by following Law360, Patentdoc blog, Fierce biotech and Fierce Pharma. I find them to be great resources. I also make it a point to attend conferences and webinars as much as I can.
How do you unwind after a hectic week?
Roshni: I love reading books, especially mythological ones. It’s fascinating to compare the similarities between different cultures in mythologies. For example, flood finds a common narrative reference in Bible, Sumerian, Hindu cultures. I also love to cook a lot and travel extensively when we get time.
How do you balance personal and professional fronts?
Roshni: The work from home option definitely helps as mentioned before. Another thing I suffer from is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). After I was diagnosed, I worked on it by joining counselling groups, seeking help on online professional platforms and found solutions with which I can now maintain a very healthy personal-professional balance.
Do you want to share any message or tips for women in STEM who would like to pursue a career path similar as yours?
Roshni: In India, IP as a course is somewhat unregulated at present, although if you’d like to opt for a similar career option, you can go for the Patent Agent examination. Most importantly, surge ahead in your career despite what others say or think of you. And try to foster genuine networking, it certainly helps. I think researchers in general live in an ivory tower where they are unaware of other career choices. One of the things that keep some people chained to academia is their fear of the unknown. I would sincerely urge women to reach out, learn, read, talk to people, and take an informed decision. You want to pursue a career because you are passionate about it, not because you think that’s your only option.
And finally, do you have a statement that defines you?
Roshni: The road was tough for me, but I am glad that I took it.