International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2022

As a forward-looking intellectual property firm working at the forefront of innovation, we know how important inventors’ contributions are to improving our lives and the world in which we live.

However, throughout the world there is a significant underrepresentation of women at all levels of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Despite great progress in closing the gap in recent years and increased participation of women in higher education, there remain relatively few women in these fields, particularly in senior roles.

Women are underrepresented in research and in graduate classes of engineering and computer science and informatics degrees. This carries through to innovation: according to a 2019 study by the UKIPO women inventors account for just under 13% of patent applications globally and two thirds of applications have all male inventors. You can read more about the gender disparity in patent inventorship in our blog Finding the "lost Einsteins" of innovation.

Harnessing the intellect, drive and creativity of everyone through the empowerment of women and girls is so important. It is through full participation in innovation that we will improve the economic development of the world and be more likely to achieve internationally agreed development goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In order to achieve full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls, and further the empowerment of women and girls, the United Nations General Assembly declared 11 February as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science in 2015. To celebrate and recognise this we have interviewed some of the women working in science as patent attorneys at Mewburn Ellis.

Anna Mudge

Anna is an associate patent attorney in our Life Sciences team. Anna has a first-class BSc in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and a PhD, both from Durham University. Anna’s work involves drafting, prosecution and oppositions in the life sciences sector, frequently in countries around the world. She has particular expertise in drafting patent applications and can advise on due diligence projects, Freedom-to-Operate issues and IP strategy.

How did you get into a career in science and in patent law specifically?

I enjoyed studying biology and chemistry throughout secondary school and took A levels in both subjects.  When I was at school, I found an opportunity to shadow a scientist for a week in a local research institute to find out what their day-to-day work entailed.  I also attended, and then volunteered at, local public science events because I found them interesting and liked explaining the science to the public.

At that time I was convinced I wanted to be an ‘academic scientist’, so I read Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at Durham University.  I preferred the biological modules to the chemistry modules and decided to stay at Durham University for a PhD in plant molecular genetics.

By the time I was half-way through my PhD, it was clear that I wanted a career outside academic research.  I started looking for jobs that were not based in a lab but which still involved science in some way.  I didn’t want to give up biology entirely!

It became apparent that patent attorneys get to write about science without having to perform the actual experiments.  I joined Mewburn Ellis as a trainee patent attorney after I finished my PhD and have now worked here for over 6 years.  I do still draw upon my scientific background every day.  I followed the usual training process for a patent attorney in private practice: obtaining experience and training through the day-to-day work and qualifying as a UK and European patent attorney via several rounds of professional exams.

Are the inventions you work on related to your scientific background?

Broadly, yes!  My PhD was in plant molecular genetics but most of my patent work involves therapeutic inventions.  I work on a lot of inventions that aim to treat diseases by harnessing the immune system, immune cells or therapeutic nucleic acids.  However, the foundational genetic and molecular concepts from my undergraduate and postgraduate studies are still relevant for the majority of the inventions that come across my desk.

The work of a patent attorney in private practice is often varied.  We work with many different clients and therefore on lots of different inventions, some of which may be outside our areas of expertise at university.  The core biological concepts remain the same though and the variety definitely makes my job interesting.

Victoria Coleman

Victoria is an associate in our chemistry team and has an MChem master’s degree in chemistry and patent law from the University of Manchester. Victoria is involved in the drafting and prosecution of chemistry patents, as well as oppositions and appeals at the European Patent Office. She also undertakes Freedom to Operate work and validity opinions. Victoria works predominantly in the pharmaceuticals sector.

What made you interested in a career in Science?

I first became interested in Science at school, but I also really enjoyed writing and English Literature. This made it difficult for me to choose my A levels because I wasn’t sure what career path I wanted to take, and I think this can be very difficult for young people to consider at this age. Many students choosing their A-levels aren’t aware of the patent profession for example or the many other career paths that can result from a degree in science.

I found science and maths more challenging than my other subjects, however, it can be really rewarding when you solve a problem or get the answer right. I initially chose to take psychology as an A level alongside English literature, maths and art. But within a week I switched psychology to chemistry which is what I then went on to study as my degree. I had a discussion with one of my female chemistry teachers and she encouraged me to take chemistry and this gave me the confidence to make the switch. This small amount of encouragement had a huge impact on my choice of career as a I now work as a patent attorney on all kinds of chemistry inventions.

It was during my A levels that I really started to enjoy chemistry. It is such a fascinating topic and conducting the practical experiments was also fun. Chemistry is so fundamental to our world and it was great learning about different chemical processes and how and why different reactions occur. This led me to choose to do Chemistry with patent law at the University of Manchester as this could combine my love of science and writing. Being a patent attorney is such an interesting career because we get to learn about a variety of new inventions all the time and we see how this is can improves people’s lives. For example, for me it’s fantastic to hear that a new drug that we have worked on is working well in clinical trials.

What do you think could encourage more young girls to pursue careers in science?

Young girls may be discouraged to pursue careers in Science because of stereotypes. For example, when children imagine themselves holding different jobs in the future, they might question whether they are similar to the people who tend to have those jobs. Media depictions of people in STEM can often perpetuate false stereotypes such as scientists that are ‘nerdy’ or ‘geeky.’ This can act as a barrier for girls specifically because they may think of themselves as different from the average scientists and this will lead them to consider fields populated by people with whom the identify with.

I think girls’ participation in science needs to be encouraged at all levels but in particular at a younger age in schools. If we can address the imbalance early on there will be more women who will be encouraged to pursue a degree or career in science. Examples of how we can do this include:

• Parents and teachers can introduce children to diverse and relatable examples of people in STEM
• Exposing girls to examples of women who have succeeded in STEM
• Actively encourage girls to take science subjects at school and to consider these for their degree.
• It should be emphasised that it is possible to have a career in STEM and have a family - there are many parents in STEM careers who are highly successful.
• Highlight women in STEM role models – this can help provide young girls with inspiration and motivation to pursue their dreams
• Highlight the many different career paths that can be pursued from a STEM degree and encourage girls to apply
• Mentors can also have a great impact

Lucy Coe

Lucy is an associate patent attorney in our Engineering team. Lucy has an MPhys (Hons) degree in physics from the University of Manchester. Lucy works primarily in the computer software, electrical engineering, transport, and mechanical engineering sectors. She is involved with all stages of the patent process, particularly in the drafting and prosecuting of applications in the UK and at the EPO. She also has experience in oppositions and opinion work.

What do you enjoy about a career in science and as a patent attorney?

Ultimately, I enjoy a career in science because science is constantly evolving. New technologies are developed every single day, so there is always something new to learn about. This also links quite well to working as a patent attorney. Part of our role is speaking to inventors about their new innovations, and I find it very exciting that I am one of the first people in the world to learn about and understand their new technology. The challenge of understanding different technologies is also something I really enjoy. There is such a feeling of success and achievement in finally understanding (sometimes after many hours or even days) how a newly developed AI algorithm works, how an intelligent medical device can accurately track blood glucose levels, or how an innovative smart sensor can lead to more reliable driverless cars. Learning about such a broad range of different technologies is what really attracted me to a career in patents. Some days I’ll work on 4 or 5 different technologies in completely different areas of physics. I think this is quite a unique aspect of this role.

As a patent attorney, the broad variety of work is not only limited to the technologies. Although we do spend a lot of time understanding the science, patent attorneys are ultimately lawyers and so we also spend a lot of our time advising our clients on how to protect their innovations within the law. Working with such a diverse range of clients, from individual inventors to multinational corporations, in order to understand their commercial strategy for protecting their inventions can be so interesting. However, my favourite part of the job is representing clients at hearings, either to defend our client’s patent which is being attacked by their competitor, or to attack someone else’s patent. Speaking at these hearings, which are similar to trials in court, is thrilling, rewarding (especially when you win!), and ultimately really fun.

What advice would you give to young girls wanting to pursue a career in science and in particular patent law?

Just go for it! And please don’t be put off by outdated (and completely incorrect) stereotypes that science is more suited to boys. If you are interested in new technologies, and enjoy the challenge and sense of achievement of understanding how something works or from solving a maths or science problem, then you are well suited to a career in science.

In terms of a career in patent law, you must have a good science, engineering or maths degree in order to be a patent attorney, but, the key thing to remember is that we are also lawyers. This means that the use of language is also a very important aspect of our role, whether this be in the words used to describe or define an invention, or how legal arguments are phrased at oral hearings. Therefore, I would recommend getting as much experience as possible in writing technical documents or reports, and in giving oral presentations. Work experience in a patent law firm itself can be quite difficult to find given the highly confidential nature of the role, so don’t worry if you can’t get any. However, many firms do offer graduate open days which give an idea of a day in the life as a patent attorney, so try to attend some of those if you are interested in applying for a graduate role.

Our focus on Inclusion and Diversity within Mewburn

We are proud of our achievements to date in workplace inclusivity, with representation of women a particular strength (~1/3 men and ~2/3 women across the firm as a whole as at end April 2021). We have 48 partners (33 are male and 15 are female), and 47 qualified attorneys (19 are female and 28 are male). With the leadership of Robert Andrews and the I&D Collaboration Group, we want to build on this by pushing forward our diversity and inclusion efforts across all areas.

We are also focussed on developing more women as attorneys and encouraging more girls and students from disadvantaged backgrounds to study STEM subjects. Currently 53% of our 43 technical trainees are women (national average of women graduating in STEM subjects in 2019 according to UCAS was 26%). We work with The British Science Association (BSA) as our main firmwide charity, whose mission is to transform the diversity and inclusivity of science; to reach under-served audiences; and to increase the number of people who are actively engaged and involved in science. We are also a national sponsor of the CREST Awards. Most recently we donated between £5,000 and £10,000 to The Menopause Charity and Gendered Intelligence to help support the fantastic work that each of these charities do.

Learn more on our Inclusion and Diversity webpage.