James Conley is an inventor who serves as a faculty member in the Operations Department and the Kellogg Center for Research in Technology & Innovation.  He also serves as a Faculty Fellow at the Northwestern University Segal Design Institute.  He is a Charter Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors

In 2004, 2007, 2014, 2015 and 2016, he received the Professor of the Year award from the Master of Product Development program at Northwestern University.  In 2011 and 2013 he received the Professor of the Year award from the Master of Science program at the WHU in Germany.

His academic research investigates the strategic use of intangible assets and intellectual properties to build and sustain competitive advantage. Research sponsors have included the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Chicago Biomedical Consortium, US Department of the Treasury IRS, Microsoft, National Science Foundation, NASA, FAA, NIST, the Department of Defense, Motorola and others. His publications have been recognized with "Best Paper" commendations from the American Foundry Society, the Society of Automotive Engineers, The Rapid Prototyping Journal and others. Mainstream outlets for his scholarship include the Wall Street Journal, the Sloan Management Review and the California Management Review.

Beyond Northwestern, he serves as an expert and author for the UN based World Intellectual Property Organization and has served as an appointed member on the United States Department of Commerce Trademark Public Advisory Committee to the Patent and Trademark Office.  He also serves on the board of several companies and the US Intellectual Property Allliance and the Illinois Intellectual Property Alliance.

He has been called to offer testimony on intellectual property related matters in legal and policy forums including the International Trade Commission, US Federal District Court, US Federal Tax Court and at International Tribunals in Asia and beyond.  Further, he is appointed to serve as an external Ph.D. examiner by Abo Akademi in Finland.

He is serving as Senior Editor of Technology and Innovation and serves on the editorial boards of the California Management Review and The Journal of the National Academy of Inventors.

His research investigates the strategic use of intangible assets and intellectual properties to build and sustain competitive advantage. Research sponsors have  included the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Microsoft Corporation, The Alexander VonHumboldt Foundation,  the United States Department of the Treasury, the National Science Foundation, NASA, FAA, NIST, the Department of Defense, Motorola, Daimler-Chrysler, and others.

• MBA, 1992, Management, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
• PhD, 1987, Materials Engineering, Northwestern University
• BS, 1983, Nuclear Engineering, University of Virginia

• Faculty Fellow, Segal Design Institute, Segal Design Institute, 9/1/2025
• Visiting Professor, Management, Otto Beisheim Graduate School of Management, WHU, 8/1/2025
• Visiting Professor, Management, Keio Business School, Keio University, 8/1/2004
• Clinical Professor, Managerial Economics and Decision Sciences, Center for Research in Technology & Innovation, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
• Faculty Member by courtesy, Mechanical Engineering, Segal Design Institute, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Northwestern University, 1/1/2022

• Supervisory Advisory Board, EASEE, 2020-2023
• Scientific Advisory Board Member, LexisNexis IP, 2008-2022
• Engineering Manager, Ryobi Limited Group of Companies, 1987-1994
• Director, Global Economics Group, 2012-present

• Selected as External Ph.D. Examiner, Abo Akademi, FINLAND
• Elected to Full Membership, Sigma Xi Society
• Elected to Full Membership, Sigma Xi Society
• Charter Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, National Academy of Inventors
• 2016 Faculty of the Year, Northwestern University Master of Product Design and Development program, 2016
• 2105 Faculty of the Year, Master of Product Design & Development Program, Northwestern University., 2015
• 2014 Faculty of the Year, Northwestern University MPD(2) program, AY 2014
• Professor of the Year, WHU Master of Science Program, 2013-2014
• Professor of the Year, WHU MSC program, Vallendar Germany, AY2011
• 2006 Faculty of the Year, Northwestern University MPD(2) program, AY2006
• 2004 Faculty of the Year, AY2004
• Selected as Lead Expert on Use of the Public Domain, United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization, 9/2016-8/2020
• External Ph.D. examiner, Abo Akademi, FINLAND
• Invited to serve on Impact Evaluation Panel of Republic of Ireland National Centers program, Science Foundation Ireland
• Invited to serve on Editorial Board of California Management Review, University of California System
• Appointed to serve on the Brands and Innovation committee, International Trademark Association, 2016-2018
• 2014, 2015, 2016 Faculty of the Year, MPDD Program Northwestern University, 2014- 2016
• Charter Fellow, National Academy of Inventors, 2013, ongoing
• Faculty Impact Award, Kellogg School of Management teaching in AY2012

• Editorial Board, California Management Review, 2017-2025
• Executive Editor, Journal of the National Academy of Inventors, Volume 19, no. 2 on Technology and Innovation management curricula across the academy., 2023-
• Editorial Board, Technology and Innovation, 2013-2022

Professor Conley teaches courses on Intellectual Capital Management, Intellectual Property for Entrepreneurs, Innovation Process Management and other related subjects to both graduate student and executive education audiences.  His course work is designed modularly to accommodate the interests of all audiences from undergraduates to corporate board members and the federal judiciary.  Beyond Kellogg and Northwestern, he serves on the visiting faculty of Kellogg partner institutions such as the Otto Beisheim Graduate School of Management at the WHU in GERMANY, the Schulich School of Business at York University in CANADA, and at the Keio University Business School in JAPAN.  He currently teached in person, online and via mixed mode methods of delivery

Driving Organic Growth through Innovation

This outcomes-oriented program teaches a proven process for achieving market-driven business growth through a well-designed innovation strategy. Take home practical solutions you can deploy immediately to ignite sustainable, profitable growth in your company.

Leading and Sustaining a Culture of Innovation

Successful innovation management requires highly trained leaders who can ignite the creative spirit and create a culture of innovation. In this program, you will develop the skills and tools you need to instill an innovation mindset within your organization and inspire your people to higher levels of creativity.

Intellectual Capital Management (STRTX-441-0)
This course covers the specific agenda of using intellectual capital for competitive advantage in multiple market contexts. In the contemporary economic environment, intellectual assets like know-how, inventions, content, brands, trademarks (forms of intellectual property), contractual agreements etc. are the largest proportion of a firm’s total wealth. And yet, many firms do not proactively manage these assets. In this course, we adopt a “lifecycle” approach to the management of an intellectual asset. Methods and frameworks developed in lecture are exercised in case studies from multiple contexts including Consumer electronics (Dolby, ttools, Apple), Agriculture, pharmaceuticals (AZ), consumer durables etc.

Intellectual Capital Management (STRT-441-0)
This course addresses the strategic question "How do innovators own and leverage what they build?" The topic is important for professionals who seek to build a difference that makes a difference in the marketplace. The course follows a "lifecycle" approach to the management of ideas and intellectual capital covering the creation and codification of the asset in the form of property (IP), valuation, and leveraging of same into markets for growth. Case studies examine health care, education, software/artificial intelligence, media, food/agriculture, entertainment, finance, consumer durables and other contexts. The "open innovation" option is considered in each context. Guest speakers and case studies include traditionally underrepresented minority founders/executive/inventors/innovators and why/how they practice inclusivity to grow their businesses. There is an individual take home case study (midterm) and group final project.

Intellectual Property for Entrepreneurs (ENTR-935-5)
This course will teach what entrepreneurs need to know to secure and leverage the knowledge based assets of their business as intellectual property. The course begins with a survey of various intellectual property forms for inventions, original expressions, source identifiers/brands and confidential information etc. Through group case study, in class discussion and lecture we explore the decisions to pursue registering intangibles (if needed) as patents, copyrights, trade marks, or securing same as trade secrets or other forms of intellectual property. Methods for leveraging IP ownership to realize investment and or exit from the business are reviewed. Case studies examine contemporary challenges in consumer durables, AI & food, finance, health care and other start up contexts. There is an individual, take home case study assignment that serves as a final exam.

MMM students interested in this course should speak with MMM administrators before registering, as some material may be duplicated in DSGN-460.

Field Study (ENTR-498-0)
Field Studies include those opportunities outside of the regular curriculum in which a student is working with an outside company or non-profit organization to address a real-world business challenge for course credit under the oversight of a faculty member.