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Director, Patents, Electronics Patent Practice Group Coordinator
Dr Catherine Bonner files and prosecutes patent and design applications across a wide range of mechanical engineering and physics-based subject matter, including medical technologies, telecommunications, photonics, high-speed devices, switches and quantum technologies, including encryption, electronics, fintech, software, gaming equipment and systems, fibre optics and cybersecurity.
Working with a broad range of clients, including early-stage companies, SMEs, and multinational corporations, Catherine also provides advice on invention harvesting, product clearance, and the commercial management of IP rights, as well as industrial designs.
Having graduated from St Andrews University with a Physics degree, Catherine went on to complete a PhD at the Optoelectronics Research Centre (University of Southampton). Her PhD research related to planar waveguide devices.
After entering the profession in 1999 and spending many years in private practice, Catherine spent three years as a patent attorney in the intellectual property division of Dyson Technology before returning to private practice.
A tutor within the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys’ tutorial programme, Catherine is one of the authors of the CIPA training manual for trainee patent attorneys. She regularly lectures on intellectual property law at both the University of Southampton and the University of Reading.
Sector Expertise