Joe brings 20 years of diverse and technologically complex intellectual property experience to Gearhart Law. Starting in-house at a biotechnology firm and 20 years in University Technology Transfer, Joe has worked with world experts and built portfolios around a wide range of technological areas: biopharmaceuticals, medical devices, robotics, artificial intelligence, AR/VR, and so much more.
As a recognized expert on intellectual property, entrepreneurship and translational reasearch, Joe is a TEDx speaker and frequent presenter on innovation and leadership topics. He is a professor at multiple departments across the University of Nebraska system, where he is a trusted academic collaborator on multiple active research projects. In 2017, Joe co-founded the UNeTech Institute which and led a small team to win over $5 million in competitive grant funding and launched startups that have raised over $6 million.
Joe has served as an independent lawyer for over a decade, working to help draft patent applications, office action responses, and advising clients with his unique experience in bridging the gap between cutting-edge research and invaluable intellectual property protection.
Follow Joe on LinkedIn for his thoughts on IP, entrepreneurship, science, innovation and leadership.
Publications & Presentations
TEDx:
- Innovation Needs Connection, TEDx Omaha 2024
Tech Transfer Tactics:
- Best Practices for Supporting Clinician Entrepreneurs [techtransfercentral.com]
- University IP License Negotiation Workshop [techtransfercentral.com]
- SBIR/STTR Policy Changes: New Challenges and New Opportunities [techtransfercentral.com]
- Preserving Sponsored Research Integrity: Fortifying Contractual Language and University Policy to Prevent Bias and COI [techtransfercentral.com]
- Avoiding Legal Issues that Can Derail University Start-Ups [techtransfercentral.com]
- Successfully Protect and Monetize Your Software IP [techtransfercentral.com]
- Best Practices for Licensing Research Tools and Materials [techtransfercentral.com]
- Successfully Monetize Your Dust-Collecting Patents [techtransfercentral.com]
- Best Practices for De-Risking University Innovations from Discovery to Exit [techtransfercentral.com]
- Tech Transfer Primer for New Staff and Faculty [techtransfercentral.com]
TechPipeline:
- The Missing Piece: Expanding Your Founder Pipeline [techpipeline.com]
- Generative AI Use in TTOs: Realizing the Potential and Mitigating the Pitfalls [techpipeline.com]
Academic Publications:
- Florescu MC, Foster KW, Sacks AR, Lof J, Stolze EA, Fry GM, Bumgardner DP, Tysinger T, Kuchta MJ, Runge HJ, Hadley WB, Morris MC. “Sheep Model of Hemodialysis Arteriovenous Fistula Using Superficial Veins.” Semin Dial. 2015 Nov-Dec;28(6):687-91. doi: 10.1111/sdi.12407. PMID: 26189959
- Matsuo K, Runge HJ, Miller DJ, Barak-Bernhagen MA, Boedeker BH. “Technology transfer at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.” Stud Health Technol Inform. 2011;163:351-3. PMID: 21335817
- Haugen P, Runge HJ, Bhattacharya D. “Long-term evolution of the S788 fungal nuclear small subunit rRNA group I introns.” RNA. 2004 Jul;10(7):1084-96. doi: 10.1261/rna.5202704. PMID: 15208444
Education
- J.D., Intellectual Property Law – University of Iowa College of Law
- M.S., Biology – University of Iowa
- B.S., Biology and Environmental Science, Philosophy Minor – Creighton University
Bar Admissions
- Nebraska State Bar
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office