Intellectual Property

Bassem Awad is a senior fellow and was previously the deputy director of International Intellectual Property Law and Innovation at CIGI.

Joël Blit is a CIGI senior fellow researching the topic of innovation, including exploring intellectual property rights, closing Canada’s innovation gap, and the link between Canadian immigration and innovation. Joël is assistant professor of economics at the University of Waterloo, with expertise in the economics of innovation, technology clusters, intellectual property, entrepreneurship, international trade and multinational corporations. 

Dan Ciuriak joined CIGI in April 2016, focusing on the innovation and trade research theme. At CIGI, Dan is exploring the interface between Canada’s domestic innovation and international trade and investment, including the development of better metrics to assess the impact of Canada’s trade agreements on innovation outcomes. Based in Ottawa, Dan is the director and principal of Ciuriak Consulting, Inc.

Bernard Colas is a CIGI senior fellow, effective August 2016. He is also a partner at CMKZ — Colas Moreira Kazandjian Zikovsky, an international trade and business law firm based in Montreal. 

Dieter Ernst is a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), focusing on unresolved challenges for the global governance of trade, intellectual property and innovation.

James W. Hinton is a CIGI fellow. His research at CIGI focuses on intellectual property (IP) and innovation. He has worked closely with the Council of Canadian Innovators on Canada’s innovation initiatives and Canada’s national IP strategy.

Olena Ivus is a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), focusing on the interface between Canada's domestic innovation and international trade.

Jean-Frédéric Morin is a CIGI senior fellow, effective May 2016. He is also associate professor at Laval University, where he holds the Canada Research Chair in International Political Economy. 

Steven L. Schwarcz is a CIGI senior fellow and the Stanley A. Star Professor of Law & Business at Duke University. At CIGI, Steven leads research on systemic risk and financial regulation, corporate governance of systemically important firms, cross-border resolution measures and sovereign debt restructuring.

A practising lawyer, Aaron Shull is CIGI’s managing director and general counsel. In addition to advising on a range of domestic legal and corporate matters, he has substantive expertise in international law, global security and internet governance.