Angela Lyon

Angela Lyon (BScH, MSc Chemistry, Queen’s) is a registered patent agent with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, specializing in chemical patent practice. In her role at Queen’s University’s technology transfer office, Angela drafts and prosecutes patent applications and advises on worldwide patent strategy. She also lends her guidance to government-funded programs to assist innovative startup companies and women entrepreneurs throughout Eastern Ontario. Angela is an advisor of students in the Queen’s Innovation Connector, Master of Entrepreneurship, and CREATE-MAPS programs. Formerly, she worked in the Queen’s chemistry department as part of a medicinal chemistry research group. This research was supported by NSERC in combination with Queen’s University spinoff company, Neurochem Inc. Angela is a named inventor on one U.S patent. She is a member of the Chemical Institute of Canada and a fellow of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada.

What’s the best part of your job?
I enjoy working with creative people who are working hard to bring a new idea to the world.

What’s the one thing you want researchers to know when they come to you?
The time to consider a patent application is prior to revealing the idea publicly. If the idea is published first, it dramatically decreases the number of countries where a patent could be obtained.

What is the most important piece of advice you would give to researchers, inventors or creators?
I want creators to ensure that they do an adequate search so they understand the patent landscape in their field. It is possible that someone already has a monopoly on the idea that they wish to pursue.