Overview
Mario A. Gaviria helps clients secure intellectual property protection for innovative chemical technologies. Mario drafts, files and prosecutes patent applications for diverse chemical inventions in the United States and international jurisdictions. He also works with patent attorneys to conduct freedom-to-operate analyses, patent infringement and validity investigations, and patent landscapes. Mario completed his dissertation on the total synthesis of complex natural products and has experience in all areas of chemistry — particularly organic, pharmaceutical and polymer chemistry.
Previous Experience
Prior to joining Faegre Drinker, Mario worked as a scientific advisor and patent agent at a boutique IP law firm in Chicago. He assisted clients with patent matters for various chemical technologies. During graduate school, Mario worked at the Office of Technology Transfer at the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor as a tech transfer fellow, where he assisted with the early technical and commercial evaluation of new inventions.
Credentials
Bar Admissions
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Languages
Spanish
Education
University of Michigan
Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry (2023)
University of Michigan
M.S. in Organic Chemistry (2020)
Pomona College
B.A. in Chemistry (2018)
Insights & Events
Other Perspectives
- Swapping Benches From Chemistry PhD Student to Science Advisor at Law Firm
Author, Chem, pp. 1-6 (2023) - Recognition of Symmetry as a Powerful Tool in Natural Product Synthesis
Co-author, Synthesis, pp. 1-11 (2021) - A Network Analysis of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Patents
Co-author, Nature Biotechnology, vol. 39, pp. 546-548 (2021) - Tetrahydropyridines via FeCl3-Catalyzed Carbonyl-Olefin Metathesis
Co-author, Organic Letters, vol. 22, pp. 2844-2848 (2020) - Studies Toward the Total Synthesis of Atropurpuran and the Arcutines
Lecturer, University of Michigan + Merck Lectureship Series (2019) - Synthesis of Equilenin via Carbonyl-Olefin Metathesis
Lecturer, University of Michigan + Merck Lectureship Series (2018)
Leadership & Community
Professional Associations
- American Chemical Society
- Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago
- Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago (LAGBAC)
Honors
- Involve x YouTube — Outstanding Future Leader Role Model, 2024
- Merck & Co., Inc. — Merck Research Award for Underrepresented Chemists of Color, 2022
- University of Michigan–Ann Arbor — Edgardo Laborde Graduate Student Award, 2022; Rackham Merit Fellow, 2018
- Pomona College — Senior Thesis With Distinction, 2018; Robert Rowan III Memorial Award, 2018
- American Chemical Society — ACS Scholars Program Selectee, 2015
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation — Gates Millennium Scholarship Recipient, 2014