James Gerard Conley
James Conley is an inventor who serves as a faculty member in the Operations Department 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
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
Intellectual Capital Management (STRTX-441-0)
This course covers the specific agenda of using intellectual capital for competitive advantage in multiple market contexts. In the contemporary economic environment, intellectual assets like know-how, inventions, content, brands, trademarks (forms of intellectual property), contractual agreements etc. are the largest proportion of a firm’s total wealth. And yet, many firms do not proactively manage these assets. In this course, we adopt a “lifecycle†approach to the management of an intellectual asset. Methods and frameworks developed in lecture are exercised in case studies from multiple contexts including Consumer electronics (Dolby, ttools, Apple), Agriculture, pharmaceuticals (AZ), consumer durables etc.
Intellectual Capital Management (STRT-441-0)
This course addresses the strategic question "How do innovators own and leverage what they build?" The topic is important for professionals who seek to build a difference that makes a difference in the marketplace. The course follows a "lifecycle" approach to the management of ideas and intellectual capital covering the creation and codification of the asset in the form of property (IP), valuation, and leveraging of same into markets for growth. Case studies examine health care, education, software/artificial intelligence, media, food/agriculture, entertainment, finance, consumer durables and other contexts. The "open innovation" option is considered in each context. Guest speakers and case studies include traditionally underrepresented minority founders/executive/inventors/innovators and why/how they practice inclusivity to grow their businesses. There is an individual take home case study (midterm) and group final project.
Commercializing Innovations (ENTR-958-0)
Success for new technology is driven by the ability of a business to create and capture value through innovation - from product innovation to business model innovation. This experience-based course offers students a chance to put innovation to work by developing commercial opportunities for new, unique Northwestern University technologies, innovations and inventions. The course will be most beneficial to students with an interest in starting up a business, entrepreneurship, business design, business strategy consulting and commercialization. The objective of this course is to develop a business project (from business concept to business plan) to the point of potential commercial launch. It is open to all graduate, professional and post-graduate students from across the university. Students will be placed on four-to-five member cross-disciplinary teams based on skills, experience and interest. The cross-discipline approach will enable students to develop and apply knowledge about innovation to better understand the challenges and opportunities posed by emerging technologies and markets. Each team will function as a business development team for potential businesses selected by the Northwestern INVO (Innovation and New Ventures Office). Students will identify their top three choices of projects from project descriptions provided prior to the first day of class, when team matching assignments will be made. Once matched, students will work to build a business development plan that will target commercialization. Teams will deliver their proposals to a panel of industry experts at the end of the term. Note: This course may not be dropped after the first week of the quarter.
Intellectual Property for Entrepreneurs (ENTR-935-5)
This course will teach what entrepreneurs need to know to secure and leverage the knowledge based assets of their business as intellectual property. The course begins with a survey of various intellectual property forms for inventions, original expressions, source identifiers/brands and confidential information etc. Through group case study, in class discussion and lecture we explore the decisions to pursue registering intangibles (if needed) as patents, copyrights, trade marks, or securing same as trade secrets or other forms of intellectual property. Methods for leveraging IP ownership to realize investment and or exit from the business are reviewed. Case studies examine contemporary challenges in consumer durables, AI & food, finance, health care and other start up contexts. There is an individual, take home case study assignment that serves as a final exam.
MMM students interested in this course should speak with MMM administrators before registering, as some material may be duplicated in DSGN-460.
Field Study (ENTR-498-0)
Field Studies include those opportunities outside of the regular curriculum in which a student is working with an outside company or non-profit organization to address a real-world business challenge for course credit under the oversight of a faculty member.
