Steven F. Hannigan, PhD

Overview

Steven Hannigan focuses his practice on US and international patent prosecution in areas related to chemistry and materials science. He represents clients in academia and industry, including world-renowned universities and research institutions, start-up companies, mid-size emerging companies, and large global corporations. His experience encompasses a range of technologies, such as electrochemical devices, batteries, and other energy storage devices; semiconductor processing and electronics; medical formulations and related delivery devices; solar power conversion and energy generation; spectroscopic systems and methods including fluorescence imaging and disease detection; composites and nanomaterials; catalytic processes; 3D printing; microfluidic devices; surface coatings; and biomass conversion.

Steven’s experience includes assisting with patent application preparation and prosecution, patentability, freedom-to-operate, landscape searching and analyses, third-party submissions, invalidity opinions, patent portfolio diligence, and litigation support. 

Prior to joining Wolf Greenfield, Steven completed his doctoral research at Boston University, receiving his doctorate degree in chemistry under the supervision of Professor Linda H. Doerrer. 

Steven’s doctoral research focused on redox reactions of transition metal complexes with the application of improving industrial catalytic processes. A component of his research involved generating reactive copper-dioxygen complexes at low temperatures to catalytically oxidize exogenous organic substrates. This work was partially completed when Steven was a visiting researcher at RWTH Aachen University in Germany, where he worked collaboratively in the laboratory of Professor Sonja Herres-Pawlis. In addition, Steven also evaluated transition metal complexes for the electrocatalytic reduction of nitrate in water, a clean technology project that was recognized by a grant from the Boston University Office of Technology Development. 

Experience

• Participated in discussions with research scientists, professors, inventors, and in-house counsel regarding invention disclosures and assisted in preparation of related patent applications.
• Managed a complex portfolio of multiple closely-related patent families in the electrochemical device space on behalf of a leading research university and a licensee.
• Performed complex patent landscape analyses in the medical formulation space and presented deliverables to a multi-national company.
• Success in developing thoughtful prosecution strategies to secure valuable and broad intellectual property protection for start-ups. 

Activities

• Mentor for graduate students through Boston University’s “Chemistry Alumni Mentoring Program” (2021-present)
• Invited speaker for Fairfield University Chemistry Colloquium (2016)

Recognition

• Recipient of Suffolk University’s Trustee Academic Scholarship (2018-2022) 
• Recipient of the Boston University Ignition Award given by the Boston University Office of Technology Development (2015)

Interests

Steven enjoys watching and playing sports, reading, watching anything related to science fiction and fantasy, traveling, and trying new restaurants and foods. He is also the inventor of an issued patent.