Experience

Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ)

• New Zealand
• Government Administration
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Senior Patent Examiner

  • May 2021 - Present

• Patent Examiner

  • Dec 2018 - May 2021

  In this position I examine patent applications in the biotechnology and chemistry fields to ensure they comply with all requirements of the Patents Act 2013. This role requires that I utilise my chemical and biotechnological knowledge in a legal setting, as well as applying the Act, associated Patent Regulations 2014, and any Case Law relevant to each examination.In addition, I have been involved in several IPONZ projects. This includes being a member of the Patents Enhancement team where I contribute to pursuing system enhancements for the IPONZ online case management facility (CMF). These enhancements have contributed significantly to improving the functionality and efficiency of the CMF for both internal staff and external clients. I have also served as a member of the IPONZ Progression working group. As a member of this team, I assisted in writing and developing the IPONZ progression toolkit and associated documentation. The effect of this work has resulted in clear expectations for both staff members and managers being set as to how the job progression process operates. In addition, the wider MBIE Pay and Progression working group have approached the group for insights to apply to the wider MBIE project. I have also served as a member of the Patents Letter Template Project. I have assisted this project by drafting new letter templates, raising system enhancements for required features, performing integration testing for the new letter templates, and problem-solving as required to implement the changes. I have also acted as a buddy to several new Associate Examiners as they went through their training. This has provided me the opportunity to demonstrate my mentoring skills and assist other Examiners with their examination questions. In short, this role has allowed me to continue to expand upon my scientific and legal knowledge, and build upon my mentoring, organisational, communication, and customer service skills. Show less

• Associate Patent Examiner

  • Jan 2017 - Dec 2018

  In this role, I developed my skills in several search tools which I used for identifying earlier disclosures which may impact the novelty and/or inventiveness of a patent application. These included GenomeQuest, STNext, and EPOQUE.I also began to develop my knowledge of a number of New Zealand and relevant International Patent case law decisions.In addition, I participated in optional training to further develop my communication and mentoring skills. I also became a qualified level 1 First-Aider and Fire Warden.In this role, I received favourable feedback for my ability to make sound decisions in a timely manner, eye for detail, high work output, good time management, ability to quickly learn new concepts, and good verbal communication. Show less



YourTutor

• Australia
• Education Administration Programs
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Tutor

  • May 2015 - May 2017

  In this position I assisted students, ranging from year 3 to low level tertiary, in the subject areas of general science, biology, chemistry, mathematics, assignment research and study skills via an online platform. At the conclusion of each session, I completed a personal reflection on the effectiveness of my interactions and communication of scientific concepts to the students. This self-evaluation contributed to keeping my performance at the highest quality. This position also allowed me to utilise and build upon my mentoring skills and my skills in communicating complex subject matter at an appropriate level for my audience. Show less



Victoria University of Wellington

• New Zealand
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Laboratory Demonstrator

  • Jul 2013 - Oct 2016

  In this position I demonstrated both biology and chemistry laboratory classes across all undergraduate year levels. As a demonstrator, I was responsible for supervising large groups of students, including communicating and enforcing safe laboratory practices. I also served as a mentor for students and would encourage them to think creatively and critically when working on a problem. This also involved explaining scientific concepts to students at an appropriate level for their understanding. In addition, I was also responsible for marking students’ laboratory work and class tests and entering their grades into a database. This position enabled me to further develop my mentoring, communication, and organizational skills. Show less

• Masters Student of Biomedical Science

  • Mar 2014 - Jun 2016

  My Master’s degree required I write a thesis on a research project. The aim of my project was to characterise the activity of the Fic domain of three virulence-associated effector proteins, secreted Bartonella henselae (the bacterial agent of cat-scratch disease). From this project I performed a range of laboratory techniques including bacterial and mammalian cell culture, DNA manipulation including PCR, protein manipulation, and biochemistry. In addition, the project required carrying out background scientific research, evaluating it critically, and thus requiring high attention to detail which further aided in developing my research skills. At the completion of the project, I was awarded travel grants from both the Victoria University Science Faculty and the American Society of Rickettsiology (ASR) to present my work overseas in Montana at the annual ASR conference where I received positive feedback from other attendees. Show less



Chiasma Wellington

• Treasurer

  • Jan 2015 - May 2016

  In this role, I served as the Treasurer for Chiasma Wellington, a student led group at Victoria that organises a range of events throughout the year designed towards connecting science students with science industry representatives. As Treasurer I was responsible for organising funding for events including catering and transport for site visits. I was also responsible for managing the Wellington Branch accounts including assisting with implement the use of the Xero accounting software. As a member of the Organising Committee I also contributed to the planning and organising of several events including career development workshops and site visits to CRIs. Working with this organisation allowed me to further develop my leadership, teamwork, and organisational skills. Show less



BP Connect Johnsonville

• Customer Service Representative (CSR)

  • Apr 2010 - Jun 2015

  In this role my main responsibilities were processing cash, EFTPOS, and credit card transactions through the electronic cash register, filling and swapping customer L. P. G bottles, and working in the café preparing food and barista work. I also took on a number of extra responsibilities such as training new staff, and completing the café team lead and manager’s daily diaries where needed. Previously I held similar positions at Shell Tawa (Jun 2009 – Apr 2010) and Pym’s Tawa Motors from Jan 2007 – Apr 2010). Show less



Callaghan Innovation

• New Zealand
• Research Services
• 300 - 400 Employee

• Summership

  • Nov 2014 - Feb 2015

  The aim of the project was to develop an enzyme assay to characterise the activity of several aldehyde decarbonylase enzymes. These enzymes are able to convert simple aldehyde compounds into alkane products and represent a novel biofuel production methodology. This required researching previous literature and trialling a number of different enzyme reaction conditions. I also presented a poster at Victoria University to demonstrate the work I’d accomplished during my internship. The aim of the project was to develop an enzyme assay to characterise the activity of several aldehyde decarbonylase enzymes. These enzymes are able to convert simple aldehyde compounds into alkane products and represent a novel biofuel production methodology. This required researching previous literature and trialling a number of different enzyme reaction conditions. I also presented a poster at Victoria University to demonstrate the work I’d accomplished during my internship.

• Summership

  • Nov 2012 - Feb 2013

  The aim of the project was to determine phospholipid profiles of different bacteria, and to use these profiles to identify bacterial species. This required generating phospholipid profiles and comparing to previous literature. During this project I worked in both the Fermentation Laboratory and in the Lipid Chemistry Laboratory. In the Fermentation Laboratory, I was responsible for culturing a range of microorganisms, both aerobic and anaerobic. In the Lipid Chemistry Laboratory, I was responsible for analysing the lipid profiles of these bacteria. Show less