About
Richard Gold is a Full Professor at McGill University, holding dual appointments in the Faculty of Law and the Department of Human Genetics (Faculty of Medicine). He serves as Director of the Centre for Intellectual Property Policy (CIPP) and holds the James McGill Chair. His expertise spans intellectual property law, biotechnology, and innovation policy. Gold advises governments and international organizations, including Health Canada, OECD, and WHO, on issues such as genetic patents, drug discovery, and open science. His research is funded by CRSH, IRSC, Genome Canada, and others. Notable contributions include landmark settlements on gene patents and amicus briefs in high-profile cases like AstraZeneca v. Apotex. He has been Vice-Dean of Graduate Studies at McGill Law (2015–2019) and previously practiced law at Torys.
Education:
- S.J.D., University of Michigan, 1995
- LL.M., University of Michigan, 1992
- LL.B. (Hons), University of Toronto, 1988
- B.Sc. (Computer Science & Mathematics), McGill University, 1984
Research Interests: Gold focuses on life sciences, intellectual property law, and their intersections with public health. He advocates for open science frameworks to address global health inequities, particularly in drug discovery and genetic testing. His work emphasizes collaborative innovation models and policy coherence between IP rights and health access.
Awards & Recognition:
- James McGill Chair
- OECD Principal Author of Guidelines on Genetic Inventions Licensing
- Recipient of NIH and CRSH/IRSC grants
Advising & Grants: Gold has directed over $10M in research funding, including projects on genetic patent policies, open science partnerships, and pandemic response strategies. He advises governments on regulatory frameworks for biotechnology and intellectual property.
Labs/Teams:
- Director, Centre for Intellectual Property Policy (CIPP)
- Associate Researcher, Health Law Institute, University of Alberta
- Former Jean Monnet Fellow, European University Institute
