Susie S. Cheng, Ph.D.

Dr. Susie Cheng is a Partner at Leason Ellis and a member of the firm’s Pharma/Biotech Group. She also serves as Chair of the firm’s China Practice Group, bringing a combination of deep scientific expertise, legal acumen, and cross-cultural fluency to her practice. Dr. Cheng counsels clients across the full spectrum of U.S. and global intellectual property strategy. Her work ranges from patent procurement and portfolio management to licensing, monetization, and dispute resolution. She advises on due diligence investigations in connection with investments and acquisitions, and provides opinions on freedom-to-operate, infringement, patentability, and inventorship. Her practice also encompasses IP agreements, Patent Trial and Appeal Board proceedings, and litigation support. Her clients span a broad range of life sciences and emerging technologies, including biologics, pharmaceuticals, enzyme replacement therapies, cryopreservation, cannabis, biofuels, cosmetics, medical devices, small molecules, nanotechnology, AI-driven healthcare algorithms, and biometric authentication. She represents a diverse client base from academic institutions and early-stage startups to established multinational corporations.

What distinguishes Dr. Cheng is her scientific foundation. Holding a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics from Columbia University and having completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Neuroscience at Rockefeller University, she brings firsthand research experience to every client engagement. This scientific depth enables her to anticipate examiner concerns, craft prosecution strategies that minimize cost and delay, and conduct interviews with Examiners to build rapport and advance prosecution efficiently. For clients conducting business in China or headquartered there, Dr. Cheng’s fluency in both Cantonese and Mandarin makes her an exceptionally effective advocate, bridging legal, cultural, and linguistic gaps with ease. Dr. Cheng graduated summa cum laude from Hunter College, City University of New York, earned her Ph.D. from Columbia University, completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Rockefeller University, and received her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School.