As part of the fourth cohort of the BSc in Biomedical Sciences programme, I began my studies at CUHK in 2019 with a passion for science, though I was still discovering what a career in it could entail. The multi-disciplinary and comprehensive experience provided by the programme was the perfect canvas for this exploration.

My concentration in Capstone Research Project led me to spend my final year in Prof. Jingying Zhou’s lab, investigating cancer immunology. While I ultimately chose a career path outside of academic research, that experience was foundational as it honed my abilities to think critically and manage my own work, while learning from and collaborating with a team of brilliant minds.

After graduating, I was offered the precious opportunity to utilise these skills in a new direction, joining Eagle IP Limited as a Technology Specialist. In this role, I work closely with senior IP professionals on patent prosecution and drafting, with a focus on the life sciences and biotechnology sectors.

My connection to IP law was a serendipitous journey that started at SBS. I enrolled in the “Intellectual Property Law for Entrepreneurs” course (under concentration area for Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship), simply as it matched my schedule miraculously. Somehow unexpectedly, it sparked my interest in IP as I saw a different perspective on how scientific knowledge can be presented and interacted with. However, at this point, I still barely knew anything about the industry and how to participate in it.

A year later, while deep in my Capstone project, I received a programme office email advertising a career talk titled “A Career as a Patent Attorney – An alternative path for science and engineering graduates.” The talk was a catalyst that allowed me to realise how realistic this career path was, and that the skills one develops from studying and conducting scientific research were a highly valuable asset to the patent profession. I reached out to the speaker, Ms. Pauli Wong, Principal at Eagle IP, after the talk to learn more about this field. And soon after, she became my future manager several months later.

I am profoundly thankful to the programme office for facilitating these opportunities, which opened the door to my career, as well as the openness of my current company, Eagle IP, which, with open arms, took me into the world of IP law.

Now, having been with Eagle IP for over a year, I continue to learn and grow. I get to utilise my scientific training daily, and look forward to continuing to build my expertise in this dynamic field.