Kirk Haselton is an experienced professional in the fields of intellectual property and technology development, currently serving as the Intellectual Property Competitive Intelligence Manager at JTI since February 2020. Previously, Kirk worked at IP Checkups, Inc. focusing on patent strategy and operations, and as a technology and intellectual property consultant with Haselton IP. Other notable roles include Partner Manager at ReCoTech GmbH, IP Consultant at patent2ip, and Licensing Manager at ipal Gesellschaft für Patentverwertung Berlin mbH. Kirk's early career involved systems engineering and research in telecommunications at Siemens and academic positions at Universität Potsdam and Cornell University, where a PhD in Applied Physics was earned. The academic foundation is complemented by a strong consulting background starting from the late 1980s.