Professor Kara Swanson, a leading authority on the intersections of intellectual property, gender and sexuality, and the history of science and technology, has been selected for three fellowships during 2023–2024. Most of her time will be spent working on her forthcoming book, Inventing Citizens: Race, Gender, and the US Patent System.

First off, Swanson is spending the summer as the Linda Hall Library Fellow, doing archival research and participating in the life of the acclaimed library in Kansas City, Missouri, considered a leading repository of material on science and technology. When she’s not in Kansas anymore, she’ll make her way down under to the land of the kiwis. There, she’ll be the Don Trow Visiting Fellow at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington in January 2024. While in residence, she will interact with students and faculty and participate in an international workshop on intellectual property and gender that will result in an edited volume on the topic. In late spring 2024, she’ll be the Raquel and Arthur Seidel Senior Fellow in the History of Intellectual Property and Patents at the Science History Institute in Philadelphia, investigating the lives of immigrant inventors in the collections of the Beckman Center for the History of Chemistry.

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to spend sustained time in research and writing, and also to learn from colleagues and students about the intellectual property systems of other countries. These fellowships will allow me to make substantial progress on my book manuscript and give me exciting ideas and insights to bring into my classrooms upon my return,” said Swanson, who trained as a biochemist and molecular biologist before moving on to law school.