Alumni Spotlight

Gabe Gross

 

Patent Attorney
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges, LLP
Silicon Valley, California
Class of 2004

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Gabe Gross, who joined the M.S. program's first class in 2002, earned three degrees from UW-Madison, including a bachelor's degree, law degree and a master of science in biotechnology. After 13 years in Madison, Gross was recently recruited to work with the law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges, LLP in California's Silicon Valley following completion of his M.S. in Biotechnology degree.

His time at UW-Madison allowed him to participate in national discussions regarding complex topics in biotechnology. In 2002, he wrote an article for the Law Review on the regulations of stem cell research. "I was at a press conference with Orrin Hatch and he cited Gabe's research," recalls Alta Charo, Professor in the Law School and M.S in Biotechnology Program. Charo notes that while Gross, who graduated from the Master of Science in Biotechnology Program in 2004, recently moved to California to practice law, "the seeds for success were planted in Wisconsin."

Gross joined the M.S. program because he wanted to speak the language of the biotech industry and better understand the issues of science, law and business. And as biotech expands, he notes, "So do intellectual property needs. When there are breakthroughs in science, there are primary legal concerns including patent infringements." he says.

Gross says the work ahead of him, which may include high profile intellectual property disputes, will be exciting. "The seeds for these opportunities were planted in Madison. When you are competing with lawyers for a position that focuses on intellectual property and biotechnology, you need a level playing field. The M.S. Biotechnology Program leveled the playing field for me."

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