Robert Bernstein is senior director of intellectual property at Plexxikon in Berkeley, California. He manages Plexxikon’s global patent portfolio, securing patent protection for its drug discovery and development programmes, and partnered drug products. His responsibilities include patent preparation and prosecution, freedom to operate evaluations, global patent strategy planning, and IP due diligence. He works closely with scientists and business development to ensure that Plexxikon’s IP assets are closely aligned with its technical and business needs. He has more than 15 years of legal experience and is involved in post-grant proceedings and patent enforcement efforts.