A knowledgeable patent agent and chemist

Tom Kiselak likens his work as a registered patent agent to that of a translator. His easy, personable demeanor helps the entrepreneurs and inventors he advises open up about their inventions and consider them from new perspectives. Meanwhile, his technical insight enables him to convert their ideas into compelling, comprehensive patent applications. His core work at Patterson + Sheridan focuses on assisting clients with preparing and prosecuting patents in the technical areas of artificial intelligence, machine learning, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, chemical engineering, clean technologies, industrial products, medical devices, and procedures.

As a patent agent, Tom has helped secure patent applications for various inventions and processes, including small-molecule pharmaceuticals, medical instrumentation, gene editing, peptide-tagged nanoparticles, drug delivery systems, and machine-learning software. He is well-versed in preparing and prosecuting domestic and foreign patent applications, invalidity and noninfringement opinions, IP due diligence, client counseling, inter partes reviews (IPRs) and post-grant reviews (PGRs). He is currently a student at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law and expects to obtain his J.D. in 2023.

Tom has a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry and five years of research experience in small molecular pharmaceuticals, organic synthetic reactions, proteomics, biochemistry, biotechnology, nanotechnology, mass spectrometry, imaging, spectroscopy, and drug delivery. During the four years Tom worked as a graduate assistant for the University of North Texas, he synthesized and characterized 50+ opioid analogs to produce a database for law enforcement to source synthetic routes and impurities. He also developed a transdermal drug delivery system for low bioavailable small-molecule pharmaceuticals. His vast chemistry knowledge and research experience enables him to work with many inventors to understand their products and better guide them through the patent process.

A successful inventor and educator

Tom’s devotion to IP law stems from his passion for innovation. He is a self-professed “eclectic inventor” and once designed, built, and optimized a novel breathalyzer mass spectrometer and its corresponding software for UNT. He worked with an attorney to draft the university’s patent application for the device, which is now patented and used for the forensic and pharmaceutical analysis of individual breath profiles. Specifically, it can detect if a person has COVID-19 within 90 seconds. This experience introduced him to patent law and solidified his career path.

Throughout his technical and legal career, Tom has always sought opportunities to share his love of chemistry, engineering, and IP law with other professionals. He currently serves on the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology’s Education and Professional Development Committee. In that role, Tom mentors undergraduate and graduate students who want to pursue a career in STEM. He loves sharing the story of his professional journey to inform students about non-academic career paths rooted in the hard sciences, like IP law. One of the students he met through that committee is now a legal tech specialist for a top law firm.

In his free time, Tom enjoys golfing, cooking, and improving his community. As a member of his town board’s recycling committee, he helped develop and implement a pay-as-you-go policy to make recycling more equitable for his fellow community members.