Professor Mimi Afshar serves as the director of the NCCU Intellectual Property (IP) Clinic, as well as the supervising patent and trademark attorney for the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Certified Patent and Trademark Clinics. Possessing nearly two decades of combined private-practice and outside counsel experience, Prof. Afshar brings a wealth of knowledge to NCCU’s IP department, enriched by her background as a chemical engineer in the pharmaceutical industry.
Prof. Afshar specializes in intellectual property law, with expertise spanning the areas of patents, trademarks, copyrights and licensing. She has represented technology and pharmaceutical clients in IP counseling and patent prosecution, and has provided strategic patent guidance to independent inventors. Her dedication to pro bono work includes assisting entrepreneurs with patent and trademark issues, reflecting her commitment to innovation and community development.
Prof. Afshar holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and graduated summa cum laude from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California. She also earned an LL.M in Law and Technology from UC Berkeley School of Law, with high honors. A registered U.S. patent attorney, she is admitted to the USPTO Patent Bar, the California State Bar, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the United States District Court–Southern District of California.