Neeta Thakur is a law clerk in the Palo Alto office of Foley & Lardner LLP and is a member of the firm’s Intellectual Property Department and Chemical, Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Practice.
Dr. Thakur has extensive experience as a patent agent in assisting attorneys in preparing and prosecuting U.S. and international patent applications in the areas of chemistry, biotechnology, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals. She also assists in infringement, due diligence, freedom to operate, and inventorship investigations.
Prior to her legal career, Dr. Thakur worked as a research scientist in the biopharmaceutical industry, where her research in the field of medicinal chemistry focused on the design and synthesis of novel pharmaceutically active small molecules. Dr. Thakur’s other professional experience includes a technical consultant position with a law office and an information scientist position with a chemical data abstracting company.
Dr. Thakur obtained her Doctor of Philosophy in chemistry from the University of California – Santa Cruz, where she was awarded a Regents Fellowship. While in graduate school, she performed research in the areas of stereoselective nitroxide radical couplings and asymmetric catalysis. She has a Master of Science degree in organic chemistry and a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the University of Bombay in India.
She is currently pursuing her J.D. at the Santa Clara University School of Law (expected graduation 2013).
Dr. Thakur is fluent in Hindi and Marathi, in addition to English.
Dr. Thakur is not admitted to practice law in any state. She is registered as a patent agent to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Publications:
- "Stereoselective coupling of chiral nitroxides with prochiral carbon radicals," Braslau, R.; Naik, N.; Chaplinski, V., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2000, 122(35), 8421-8434
- "Stereoselective coupling of prochiral carbon radicals with a C2-Symmetric nitroxide," Naik, N.; Braslau, R. Presented at the 217th national ACS meeting at Anaheim, CA in March 1999
- "Stereoselective coupling of chiral nitroxides with prochiral carbon radicals," Naik, N. Doctoral Dissertation, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, June 1999
- "Synthesis and Applications of Optically Active Nitroxides," Naik, N.; Braslau, R. Tetrahedron 1998, 54, 667-696
- "Low-Temperature Preparations of Unimolecular Nitroxide Initiators for "Living" Free Radical Polymerizations," Braslau, R.; Burrill, L. C.; Siano, M.; Naik, N.; Howden, R. K.; Mahal, L. K. Macromolecules 1997, 30, 6445-6450
- "Unexpected Rearrangement of a Borneol-Derived O-Benzylated Hydroxamic Acid: Facile Synthesis of an Optically Active Multidentate Ligand," Braslau, R.; Naik, N., Olmstead, M. M. J. Org. Chem. 1996, 61, 368-371