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Tom Wolff retired in 2021 after 31 years’ experience as a Patent Information Specialist providing R&D, legal, and marketing departments with expert consultation and search services, including on-demand and ongoing technical information reports and patentability and freedom-to-operate searches in the chemical arts. Tom built building rapport with customers, colleagues, and service providers to deliver effective information services and resources. Tom developed software applications and work processes still used regularly by corporate staff members to provide cost-effective search reports. In addition, Tom championed end-user search tools and intranet and extranet web sites to help customers probe interest areas before asking for expert service. He presented and written papers on many of these matters in ChemTech, Database, Online Searcher, World Patent Information, and other publications. Tom formed Wolff Information Consulting LLC in 2006 to provide technical and patent information services on a contract basis. Tom personally provided all services; no work was ever outsourced or subcontracted. Tom began his career at Amoco Chemical Company as a research chemist in 1980. He moved to the Information Research and Analysis team in 1990 where he continued through the merger with BP and spin-off of the petrochemical and polymer company, Innovene, until its sale to Ineos. At Innovene, Tom managed a global team of information specialists and library staff; negotiated, procured and managed a $3 million subscription budget; and contracted and implemented company-branded extranet sites for delivery of information resources to global staff. Tom has a Ph.D. from Stanford University in bioinorganic chemistry and an undergraduate degree in chemistry from MIT. He is registered as a Patent Agent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Tom was certified by the International Standards Board (ISBQPIP) as a Qualified Patent Information Professional (QPIP). Tom’s first decade at Amoco was as a research chemist carrying out research and development on polyolefin catalysis, catalytic oxidation and purification technology for aromatic acids, and developing and managing a liquid chromatography laboratory supporting numerous pilot plants and technologists. He has prior experience carrying out homogeneous Fischer-Tropsch catalysis work at Exxon Research & Engineering. Tom is an emeritus member of the Patent Information Users Group (PIUG), where he was webmaster of the PIUG website and developer of the now-defunct PIUG wiki, is an emeritus member of the American Chemical Society Division of Chemical Information, and was formerly a member of the Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP). |
