Leannah N. Schmitt, PhD
(she/her/hers)
Technology Specialist
| Biotechnology
Overview
Leannah Schmitt assists the firm in biotechnology patent prosecution, where she supports attorneys and clients on matters involving neuroscience, molecular and cellular biology, and related life sciences technologies.
Leannah’s background in neuroscience was established through her doctoral work in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard University, where her research focused on uncovering cellular diversity within olfactory circuits using in vitro and in vivo electrophysiological techniques. She was awarded an NIH F31 Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Fellowship in support of this work, authoring a successful grant proposal detailing innovative approaches to studying neural circuit function. Her research also involved collaboration to optimize RNA sequencing outcomes and analysis.
Prior to her doctoral studies, Leannah served as a Research Assistant in the Department of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School, where she contributed to the inception, direction, and drafting of a published manuscript identifying a functional unconventional output to the mouse forebrain with potential implications for non-motor functions of the cerebellum. She also gained industry experience as a Research Assistant at Cygnal Therapeutics, a Flagship Pioneering venture, where she assessed scientific feasibility and contributed to strategic decision-making in collaboration with cross-functional teams.
Leannah was a technology specialist summer intern at Wolf Greenfield before joining the firm full time.
Recognition
- NIH F31 Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Fellowship