June 29, 2012

Sweetwater Energy Adds Intellectual Property Strategist

Sweetwater Energy, Inc., a Rochester-based renewable energy company, today announced it has hired Dr. Nina Pearlmutter to oversee the company’s intellectual property development strategy and implementation.

“Nina has a stellar IP record in the renewable fuels space,” said Arunas Chesonis, CEO of Sweetwater Energy. “She worked with our CTO in previous years to secure intellectual property for Qteros, and we’re very excited to have her talents here where she can hit the ground running to devise a full IP strategy for Sweetwater.”

Prior to Sweetwater Energy, Dr. Pearlmutter was the chief intellectual property counsel for Qteros and Genome Therapeutics, and patent counsel at Hamilton, Brook, Smith & Reynolds, where she advised clients on developing intellectual property portfolios and strategy, litigation, and contract matters. She was also patent counsel for Pioneer Hi-Bred International for research and development of new plant varieties and products.

Dr. Pearlmutter has been a participating member of the American Bar Association, the American Intellectual Property Law Association, and the Boston Patent Law Association, where she has chaired multiple patent committees and given several presentations on patent law. She was also law clerk for Honorable Charles R. Wolle in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.

Before she entered the field of law, Dr. Pearlmutter was a faculty member at Iowa State University. She has over 13 years of academic research and teaching experience in cell biology, genomic research, and biochemistry, is a member of Sigma Xi, and has over 25 research publications and papers, including two published laboratory manuals.

Dr. Pearlmutter is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the State of Iowa, and is a registered patent attorney with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. She holds a J.D. with honors from Drake University Law School, a Ph.D. from Purdue University, and an M.S. from the University of Maine.