We have some incredibly gratifying news for you folks today!
Economist Heidi Williams, who’s done some fascinating work tracking the implications of patent regulations and technology changes on innovation in health-care markets through data-based research (you can check out some of her work on Written Description’s blog here), has been chosen as one of the 24 MacArthur Fellows for 2015.
What makes Williams’ receipt of this prestigious Fellowship, aka “Genius Grant”, even more of an extraordinary honour, is the fact that she’s really quite young, and currently an assistant professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The award of an unrestricted stipend worth $625,000 over five years, and so early in her career, could really do wonders for her line of research, and perhaps enable her to push the boundaries in the field of patent innovation and healthcare opportunities.
It really is quite delightful to see such generous grants being awarded to exceptionally talented individuals like Williams, who are always looking to break new ground – and for reasons rather obvious, it brings us greater joy when they’re IP wizards!
For more details, check out the MacArthur Fellows Program page here