Allison Ferro

ZEISS develops you and gives you opportunities to apply your skills and make a difference

Allison Ferro has been working for ZEISS for nine years. She was hired to manage the intellectual property in the medical segment. In this role, she works closely with the Research and Development team to identify and protect new inventions for the company in the ophthalmic diagnostic space.

In her time with the company, she has overseen the filing of almost 400 patent applications worldwide, resulting in the granting of over 100 U.S. patents. Each time a U.S. patent grants, a plaque is ordered to hang on the wall in the Dublin office to recognize the contribution of the invention to the company.

  

"Here at ZEISS you have the chance to grow and influence your working environment without necessarily being constrained by a specific title"

ZEISS is a large and global organization and provides opportunities for employees to apply their knowledge in many areas based on experience and expertise across the organization.

Because my IP role involves reviewing the technology and patents of competitors, I gained a general knowledge of the overall ophthalmic diagnostic space which has allowed me to expand my role and therefore my impact on the company. In addition to intellectual property, I am now involved with managing the early stage technology development in the company. As part of that, I oversee the R&D group’s involvement in the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) annual conference, one of the largest ophthalmology research conference in the world. I am responsible for coordinating the company’s abstract submissions onsite, reviewing the posters and presentations, and facilitating knowledge sharing from the conference throughout the organization. ARVO submissions by ZEISS employees have increased from two submittals per year in 2014, to over 50 in 2019. Each year over 30 people from R&D attend ARVO where they have the opportunity to learn about the latest technology and clinical developments.  

ZEISS develops you and gives you opportunities to apply your skills and make a difference.

Allison Ferro, Senior Manager of Intellectual Property and Technology Development

"I am proud to tell people that I work at ZEISS because it is a company with a long-standing reputation for innovation and quality"

Flexibility, constantly learning new things, working with inspiring dedicated coworkers, and opportunities for growth make me excited to come to work each day. I also appreciate the work-life balance. I have two young kids and while my husband and I both want to work and have valuable careers, we also want time for our family, ZEISS makes it possible.

Teams at ZEISS reach their goals in short time periods. And that is possible because of our strong team spirit. Everyone comes together when there is a need. I am really impressed with the people here at ZEISS. People are very knowledgeable, but also approachable. We have a very collaborative and open environment. And even our upper Management understands the science and technology as well as our experts which impresses me. They know how to run a business, but they also know what business is about.

My days aren’t always predictable, but I like that. My time is split between meetings, reading research articles and patents, reviewing and writing patents and IP analysis as well as developing strategies for new technologies. I really enjoy the opportunity to constantly learn and to work at the crossroads of technology, business and law. ZEISS has provided me the opportunity to develop new skills and take on new challenges while not being constrained by a specific job title. If curiosity, enthusiasm, and commitment are part of your personality, you will definitely fit in here. ZEISS develops you and gives you opportunities to apply your skills and make a difference.

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The different business units and the central corporate and service functions at ZEISS offer a large number of career options for all disciplines.


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