Croak Visiting Scholars Program

The Dr. Marian Rogers Croak Visiting Scholars Program enlists the services of academic researchers as Distinguished Scholars or Research Fellows to study intellectual property (IP) issues that further the agency's mission and the public interest. Following the introduction of the program in January 2012, Croak Scholars have studied ways to improve USPTO's efficiency and performance, decrease burdens on applicants, and improve patent quality and clarity, among other topics.

Croak Distinguished Scholars

The Croak Distinguished Scholars are senior scholars and experts in law and related fields. They are invited by the Director to advise on policy issues in their areas of expertise. 

Current Croak Distinguished Scholars:

  • Colleen Chien, Visiting Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, and Director of the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology
  • Mark Janis, Robert A. Lucas Chair and Professor of Law, Director, Center for Intellectual Property Research at Indiana University Mauer School of Law
  • Caren Ulrich Stacy, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Diversity Lab

Croak Research Fellows

The Croak Research Fellows program was created in 2013 as an expansion of the successful Croak Scholars Program. Research Fellows perform quantitative research on policy relevant to patent and trademark topics. Their research and data are typically made available to the public.

Current Croak Research Fellows:

  • Mark A. Finlayson, Eminent Scholar Chaired Associate Professor of Computer Science in the Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences at Florida International University
  • Neel U. Sukhatme, Anne Fleming Research Professor and Associate Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center

Additional information


Please direct any questions to visitingscholarsprogram@uspto.gov.