Samantha T. Craighead, Ph.D.

As a lead commercialization analyst with the Office of Technology Management at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Samantha evaluated university inventions for novelty, non-obviousness, utility, and patentability, with an emphasis on chemical, pharmaceutical, and life science technologies. She conducted patent and non-patent literature searches; assessed freedom-to-operate (FTO) risks; prepared patentability and commercialization assessments for the university and external patent attorneys; and participated in case review meetings involving claim strategy, prosecution risk, and filing decisions. Samantha also worked directly with faculty inventors to identify creative concepts, clarify embodiments, and develop claimable subject matters, while supporting patent prosecution workflows.

Samantha leverages significant technical experience in chemistry, neuroscience, chemical biology, therapeutics, and analytical chemistry. Her graduate research focused on small-molecule therapeutics targeting iron dysregulation in neurodegenerative disease, including the design, synthesis, and characterization of novel compounds with potential relevance to composition-of-matter and method-of-use claims. She also developed biological and analytical assays relevant to patent enablement and written description considerations; collaborated across chemistry, biology, and pharmacology disciplines; and contributed to publications and invention disclosures.