Mihaela Bojin, PhD, has been an active member and leader of LES since 2016. She will serve as LES President and Chair for 2026–2027. Her recent leadership roles include Chair of the 2023 LES Annual Meeting, Leader of the LES Academy, Co-chair of LES Education and Faculty (2020–2026), member of the LES Board of Directors (2020–present), co-founder of the LES Iowa Local Chapter in 2017 with Jim Holcombe, and member of the LES Standards Board of Directors (2019–present).
As Senior Associate Director at the University of Iowa Research Foundation (UIRF), Mihaela leads licensing, intellectual property strategy, and partnerships across diverse innovation sectors. She has successfully negotiated numerous agreements that have advanced medical innovations from the university into commercialization.
Mihaela is a Certified Licensing Professional (CLP) and a registered U.S. patent agent. She earned her undergraduate degrees in Romania, followed by a PhD in Theoretical Chemistry from Cornell University. She completed postdoctoral research at New York University and the University of California, Davis.
She has also taught courses in licensing, negotiation, intellectual property and commercialization, general chemistry, chemistry and the arts, and forensic chemistry.
Q: What is your history with LES?
I felt I needed more licensing knowledge from the licensor’s perspective, so I attended LES University led by Ada Nielsen in 2016. Brian O’Shaughnessy was President, and the course featured many outstanding instructors, including Brian, Jeff Whittle, and Pam Cox. A couple of month later, I passed the CLP exam.
At the 2016 LES Annual Meeting in Vancouver, I met Bill Elkington, who was President-Elect at the time, and he suggested forming the LES Iowa Local Chapter. Louise Levien also encouraged me and provided guidance on getting it started. Bill later asked me to join the LES Standards Board in 2019, and in 2020 Bob Held invited me to serve on the LES Board of Directors.
I like to get involved in many things, so Karthika Perumal asked me to chair the 2023 Annual Meeting in Chicago. That was quite a learning experience—it’s a big job—but it was also incredibly rewarding. It was the second in-person annual meeting after COVID, and Chicago gave us the opportunity to demonstrate that outstanding content leads to meaningful networking. It was also a wonderful opportunity for me to connect with so many people throughout LES.
Because I enjoy teaching so much, I became very involved in LES Education early on. Last year, I co-chaired the committee with Arpi Siyahian, and we launched LES Academy, which immediately precedes the Annual Meeting. This is a comprehensive professional development program taught by LES’s most experienced faculty. We had incredible attendee feedback, and we are excited about being able to offer this training to the IP and licensing community. We also developed customized courses for two pharmaceutical companies, VentureWell, and the University of Toronto.
Q: What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?
When I joined our office in 2013, I created an outreach program across the university, and the number of invention disclosures increased significantly. I would speak to 40 to 50 departments each year, explaining what our office does and encouraging faculty to work with us to commercialize their ideas.
Our technology transfer office follows innovations from cradle to grave. We work with a technology from the moment it is disclosed until the license expires. That includes working with inventors, with patent attorneys to secure IP protection, negotiating licenses, and monitoring compliance and diligence throughout the life of the patent.
There are several deals that I’ve especially enjoyed working on, and I’m hopeful they will have a significant impact. One licensed technology has resulted in several drugs now in clinical trials. It’s exciting because it’s not just one potential therapy, but multiple candidates moving through development.
Another memorable deal was with Medical 21, founded by Manny Villafaña, a legend in the medical device industry. He built his company around our artificial vascular graft technology. Manny visited the university numerous times to work directly with the inventors and finalize the license. It was an outstanding experience from both the relationship-building and negotiation perspectives.
Q: What are your plans for your tenure as LES President?
I think LES is in a very good position today. Our meetings are attracting more attendees and industry leaders, and we’re seeing increased activity within our local chapters.
One of my priorities is ensuring that our volunteers receive the visibility and recognition they deserve. LES would not be what it is without their dedication. We want to recognize the people who contribute their time and energy while also demonstrating, through their example, that LES is an outstanding organization for learning, building connections, and giving back to the licensing, valuation, and IP profession.
We all value not only the professional relationships we develop through LES, but also the friendships. As you work together on committees and participate in meetings, you build lasting connections.
LES also provides an opportunity to continue learning throughout your career. Our membership includes such a diverse range of professionals, and there’s always something new to learn – whether it’s negotiation strategies, managing different personalities, or understanding new perspectives. Those may be considered soft skills, but they’re incredibly valuable. The LES community creates an environment where that learning happens naturally. My hope is to further raise the visibility of LES by highlighting both the organization and the volunteers who make it so successful.
Q: Tell us about your travels, hobbies, or family life.
We recently returned from a trip to Norway. My husband, who teaches sociology at the University of Iowa, and our two teenage daughters enjoy hiking and traveling, and we like to combine a week in nature with a week exploring a major city.
One of my hobbies is tennis. I became interested after my daughter started playing, and now I really enjoy it. I’ve made many friends through tennis, and we compete together in local leagues.
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