Suzannah Merchant

Background

Suzannah is a European and Chartered UK Patent Attorney in the Engineering Group.  Suzannah joined Dehns in 2011, having graduated from the University of Oxford with a first-class Master of Physics degree and a doctorate in the field of terahertz spectroscopy.

Type of clients and client work

Suzannah acts for a wide range of clients, from start-ups, university spin-outs and SMEs through to multinational corporations. Her work includes drafting new patent applications, handling prosecution of patent applications worldwide, handling oppositions and appeals before the European Patent Office, and preparing opinions on IP matters such as patentability of inventions and freedom-to-operate.

Expertise

Suzannah’s experience in IP work encompasses a wide variety of engineering and physics fields, including: audio devices; wireless and mobile communication devices, networks and protocols; control and safety devices and protocols; optical detection, measurement and imaging devices; solid state lighting devices; quantum computing; sensor networks; energy generation; mechanical devices; medical devices; and nuclear decommissioning. Suzannah also has particular experience in successfully pursuing patent protection for inventions having significant non-technical aspects, which can be especially challenging before the European Patent Office.

Qualifications and Memberships

• Authorised Representative before the Unified Patent Court (UPC) 2024
• Chartered Patent Attorney
• European Patent Attorney
• Intellectual Property Litigation Certificate
• Certificate in Intellectual Property Law (Brunel University)
• Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys
• Member of the European Patent Institute

Higher Education

DPhil, Physics (Terahertz Spectroscopy), University of Oxford, 2012

MPhys (First Class) Physics, University of Oxford, 2006

Suzannah’s graduate study broadly encompassed aspects of solid state physics and photonics, and in particular was concerned with spectroscopic analysis and opto-electronics. Her research focused on the analysis of terahertz data for studying the behaviour of electrons in thin-film semiconductor materials. During her undergraduate degree she specialised in lasers, optics, quantum information processing and theoretical physics.