Smita Sharma joined the NINDS technology transfer office in 2016, bringing with her broad experiences from serving in management positions in biotech corporations, Intellectual property-law firms and most recently as a License Enforcement Officer for the CDC unit at NIAID/NIH. In the private sector, Sharma managed diverse patent portfolios, developing strategies for technologies related to medical screening and analysis software, vaccine technologies, small molecule protein & nucleic acid therapeutics, receptor-drug targets, growth factors, signal transduction pathways, medical devices, nanotechnology and diagnostic components. In addition to biotech patent prosecution, she also assisted in litigation matters involving patent infringement and conducted due diligence analyses for validity and freedom to operate issues. Prior to joining NIH, Sharma worked as a technology transfer consultant at Foresight Science and Technology, helping SBIR awardees to “jump-start” their commercialization efforts by providing comprehensive market reports, assisting with business plans and introducing suitable alliance partners. Sharma earned a J.D. from Boston University of Law, Boston, and a Ph.D. in Immunology from Bombay University, India. She completed her post-doctoral training at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine prior to embarking on her technology transfer career. She is a co-inventor on a U.S. patent and has several first-author publications. As a portfolio manager at NINDS, Sharma uses her scientific, legal and business acumen in evaluating intellectual property matters and facilitating the collaborative efforts of NINDS investigators to fulfill the NINDS mission.