Biography

James Conley is an inventor who serves as a faculty member in the Kellogg Center for Research in Technology & Innovation.  He also serves as a Faculty Fellow at the Northwestern University Segal Design Institute.  He is a Charter Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors

In 2004, 2007, 2014, 2015 and 2016, he received the Professor of the Year award from the Master of Product Development program at Northwestern University.  In 2011 and 2013 he received the Professor of the Year award from the Master of Science program at the WHU in Germany.

His academic research investigates the strategic use of intangible assets and intellectual properties to build and sustain competitive advantage. Research sponsors have included the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), US Department of the Treasury IRS, The Chicago Biomedical Consortium, Microsoft, National Science Foundation, NASA, FAA, NIST, the Department of Defense, and others. His publications have been recognized with “Best Paper” commendations from the American Foundry Society, the Society of Automotive Engineers, The Rapid Prototyping Journal and others. Mainstream outlets for his scholarship include the Wall Street Journal, the Sloan Management Review and the California Management Review.

Beyond Northwestern, he serves as an expert and author for the UN based World Intellectual Property Organization and has served as an appointed member on the United States Department of Commerce Trademark Public Advisory Committee to the Patent and Trademark Office.  He also serves on the board of several companies and the US Intellectual Property Allliance and the Illinois Intellectual Property Alliance.

He has been called to offer testimony on intellectual property related matters in legal and policy forums including the International Trade Commission, US Federal District Court, US Federal Tax Court and at International Tribunals in Asia and beyond.  Further, he is appointed to serve as an external Ph.D. examiner by Abo Akademi in Finland.

He is serving as a special issue editor of Technology and Innovation and serves on the editorial boards of the California Management Review and The Journal of the National Academy of Inventors.

Exemplary United States Patents

  • U.S. Patent #6,165,616 December 26, 2000
    Synthetic diamond coatings with intermediate bonding layers and methods of applying such coatings Co-inventor: Jerome Lemelson DOWNLOAD / VIEW
  • U.S. Patent #6,099,976 August 8, 2000
    Synthetic diamond overlays for gas turbine engine parts having thermal barrier coatings Co-inventor: Jerome Lemelson DOWNLOAD / VIEW
  • U.S. Patent #6,083,570 July 4, 2000
    Synthetic diamond coatings with intermediate amorphous metal bonding layers and methods of applying such coatings Co-inventor: Jerome Lemelson DOWNLOAD / VIEW

Awards and Honors

Professor Conley is a recognized expert and thought leader in the areas of intellectual property, intellectual capital, innovation, and design engineering and his work explores the strategic use of intangible assets and intellectual properties to build and sustain competitive advantage in firms. In addition to being recognized as Best Teacher and Faculty of the Year at home and abroad, his publications have been honored with “Best Paper” commendations from the American Foundry Society, the Society of Automotive Engineers, The Rapid Prototyping Journal and others. In 2013, Professor Conley was inducted into the National Academy of Inventors which currently has 414 members from around the world representing their universities and non-profit research institutes. He was recognized as an inventor with patents issued from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and as a scholar dedicated to advocating intellectual property rights at Northwestern University. He also resides on the editorial board of the international journal Technology and Innovation – Proceedings of the National Academy of Inventors® published by Cognizant Communication Corporation.

Recent Honors/Recognition

  • Northwestern University 2014 & 2015Faculty of the Year selections in 2014 and 2015 in Master of Product Design & Development Program
  • World Intellectual Property Organization 2013Invited Author for WIPO White Paper on Patents and the Public Domain in Geneva, Switzerland
  • WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management 2013Best Teacher Award in Master of Science Program
  • National Academy of Inventors® 2013Charter Fellow of National Academy of Inventors® inducted on February 22 2013
  • Kellogg School of Management 2011 & 2012Kellogg Certificate of Impact recipient for teaching Intellectual Capital Management in AYs 2011 & 2012