James Gerard Conley
James Conley is an inventor who serves as a faculty member in the Operations Group and the Kellogg Center for Research in Technology & Innovation. He also serves as a Faculty Fellow at the Northwestern University Segal Design Institute. He is a Charter Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and has served on workshops hosted at the National Academy of Sciences.
In 2004, 2007, 2014, 2015 and 2016, he received the Professor of the Year award from the Master of Product Development program at Northwestern University. In 2011 and 2013 he received the Professor of the Year award from the Master of Science program at the WHU in Germany.
His academic research investigates the strategic use of intangible assets and intellectual properties to build and sustain competitive advantage. Research sponsors have included the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Chicago Biomedical Consortium, US Department of the Treasury IRS, Microsoft, National Science Foundation, NASA, FAA, NIST, the Department of Defense, Motorola and others. His publications have been recognized with "Best Paper" commendations from the American Foundry Society, the Society of Automotive Engineers, The Rapid Prototyping Journal and others. Mainstream outlets for his scholarship include the Wall Street Journal, the Sloan Management Review and the California Management Review.
Beyond Northwestern, he serves as an expert and author for the UN based World Intellectual Property Organization and has served as an appointed member on the United States Department of Commerce Trademark Public Advisory Committee to the Patent and Trademark Office. He also serves on the board of several companies and the US Intellectual Property Allliance and the Illinois Intellectual Property Alliance.
He has been called to offer testimony on intellectual property related matters in legal and policy forums including the International Trade Commission, US Federal District Court, US Federal Tax Court and at International Tribunals in Asia and beyond. Further, he is appointed to serve as an external Ph.D. examiner by Abo Akademi in Finland.
He is serving as Senior Editor of Technology and Innovation and serves on the editorial boards of the California Management Review and The Journal of the National Academy of Inventors.
- His research investigates the strategic use of intangible assets and intellectual properties to build and sustain competitive advantage. Research sponsors have included the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
- Microsoft Corporation
- The Alexander VonHumboldt Foundation
- the United States Department of the Treasury
- the National Science Foundation
- NASA
- FAA
- NIST
- the Department of Defense
- Motorola
- Daimler-Chrysler
- and others.
- Professor Conley teaches courses on Intellectual Capital Management
- Intellectual Property for Entrepreneurs
- Innovation Process Management and other related subjects to both graduate student and executive education audiences. His course work is designed modularly to accommodate the interests of all audiences from undergraduates to corporate board members and the federal judiciary. Beyond Kellogg and Northwestern
- he serves on the visiting faculty of Kellogg partner institutions such as the Otto Beisheim Graduate School of Management at the WHU in GERMANY
- the Schulich School of Business at York University in CANADA
- and at the Keio University Business School in JAPAN. He currently teached in person
- online and via mixed mode methods of delivery
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MBA, 1992, Management, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
PhD, 1987, Materials Engineering, Northwestern University
BS, 1983, Nuclear Engineering, University of Virginia -
Faculty Fellow, Segal Design Institute, Segal Design Institute, 2005-2025
Clinical Professor, Managerial Economics and Decision Sciences, Center for Research in Technology & Innovation, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, 2000-present
Visiting Professor, Management, Otto Beisheim Graduate School of Management, WHU, 2008-2025
Visiting Professor, Management, Keio Business School, Keio University, 2002-2004
Faculty Member by courtesy, Mechanical Engineering, Segal Design Institute, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Northwestern University, 1994-2022 -
Supervisory Advisory Board, EASEE, 2020-2023
Scientific Advisory Board Member, LexisNexis IP, 2008-2022
Engineering Manager, Ryobi Limited Group of Companies, 1987-1994
Director, Global Economics Group, 2012-present -
Selected as External Ph.D. Examiner, Abo Akademi, FINLAND
Elected to Full Membership, Sigma Xi Society
Elected to Full Membership, Sigma Xi Society
Charter Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, National Academy of Inventors
2016 Faculty of the Year, Northwestern University Master of Product Design and Development program, 2016
2105 Faculty of the Year, Master of Product Design & Development Program, Northwestern University., 2015
2014 Faculty of the Year, Northwestern University MPD(2) program, AY 2014
Professor of the Year, WHU Master of Science Program, 2013-2014
Professor of the Year, WHU MSC program, Vallendar Germany, AY2011
2006 Faculty of the Year, Northwestern University MPD(2) program, AY2006
2004 Faculty of the Year, AY2004
Selected as Lead Expert on Use of the Public Domain, United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization, 9/2016-8/2020
External Ph.D. examiner, Abo Akademi, FINLAND
Invited to serve on Impact Evaluation Panel of Republic of Ireland National Centers program, Science Foundation Ireland
Invited to serve on Editorial Board of California Management Review, University of California System
Appointed to serve on the Brands and Innovation committee, International Trademark Association, 2016-2018
2014, 2015, 2016 Faculty of the Year, MPDD Program Northwestern University, 2014- 2016
Charter Fellow, National Academy of Inventors, 2013, ongoing
Faculty Impact Award, Kellogg School of Management teaching in AY2012 -
Editorial Board, California Management Review, 2017-2025
Executive Editor, Journal of the National Academy of Inventors, Volume 19, no. 2 on Technology and Innovation management curricula across the academy., 2023-2024
Editorial Board, Technology and Innovation, 2013-2022
