Dr. Silvia Szep is the Intellectual Property Strategy Laureate for the DuPont Electronics and Industrial business. In her role, she leads the Intellectual Property (IP) Strategy and Trade Secret Protection initiatives, supporting a network of over 65 IP and Trade Secret focal points across Research & Development and Integrated Operations.
A dedicated lifelong learner, Dr. Szep excels in cross-functional collaboration, adeptly translating technical complexities for business leaders. She is passionate about mentoring early and mid-career professionals and is currently pursuing a master’s in management at Harvard University, expected to graduate in 2025. She holds a Ph.D. in Biophysics/Chemistry from Yale University and a B.A. in Biochemistry from Swarthmore College.
Previously, Dr. Szep served as the Intellectual Capital Manager for DuPont's Transportation and Advanced Polymers and Nutrition and Health businesses. In this role, she managed the patent and technical information carve-out during the Dow-DuPont merger and oversaw the patent portfolio for Automotive Adhesives. After transitioning to the Dow Food and Pharma business in 2016, she developed key processes for patent portfolio auditing, invention concept quality control and crafted IP strategies to safeguard critical product platforms.
Since 2019, she has been a vital part of the Electronics and Industrials leadership team, where she supports technical organizations in establishing patent portfolio auditing processes, developing comprehensive IP strategies and trade secret protection. Dr. Szep mentors over 40 technical IP focal points and leads cross-functional IP strategy reviews for business leadership, while providing global training on patents, information release, and trade secrets.
Prior to her time at Dow, Dr. Szep was a Research Scientist at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. She is also a member of the US Patent Bar.