Ghobad Heidari, PhD
Founder & President
Dr. Ghobad Heidari has over 25 years of technology research and development, IP analysis, and management experience. His technical expertise includes wireless communication, networking, consumer electronics, semiconductors, and embedded systems. Since 2007, he has been involved with IP management and analysis, engineering designs and tests, as well as IP litigation support.
Previously, he has served as VP of Engineering at various small and large corporations (Olympus Corp, WiLinx Corp) where he researched, developed and standardized various wireless communication and networking systems. Prior to that, he held various technical and management positions at Nokia, AT&T, and various startups.
For the past five consecutive years, Ghobad has been named one of the World’s Leading IP Strategists by the prestigious IAM Strategy 300. IAM has also named him as a Strategy 300 Global Leader.
Ghobad has a PhD from Purdue University, has over 30 granted patents and has published a multitude of conference and journal papers. As an adjunct faculty, he has taught various courses at University of California. He has had extensive experiences with and contributions to various industry standards (3GPP, IEEE 802.11, Bluetooth, USB-IF, etc.). He is the author of WiMedia UWB for Wireless USB and Bluetooth, John Wiley & Sons, 2008
Marc Pépin, PhD
Vice President, IP & Engineering Services
Dr. Marc Pépin has over 25 years of technology research and development, Intellectual Property (IP) analysis, and management experience. He has technical expertise in reverse engineering, wireless communication, networking, consumer electronics, semiconductors, and polymers. At GHB Intellect, Marc makes full use of his scientific, business, and management proficiency to lead projects and teams in supporting clients with their technical and IP needs.
Marc began his career in IP at an IP law firm, working on drafting and prosecution of patent applications. Since 2006, he held various positions at IP consulting firms, working his way up to President of a firm in which he was involved in managing the firm and leading numerous teams of subject matter experts to support clients with their IP activities. He has been involved in various aspects of IP including IP licensing, litigation, strategy, valuation, brokerage, evidence of use (EoU) analyses, and prior art searches. His reverse engineering, EoU analysis, and valuation work have been used to assist clients in enhancing their negotiations for fundraising, licensing, and sales across various industries.
Marc has a PhD in Polymer Physics from Memorial University of Newfoundland and has published several conference and journal papers. He has also taught several courses at Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Chao Qi, PhD, JD, MBA
Senior Director, IP Analysis
Dr. Chao Qi has a deep background in all aspects of patent prosecution and intellectual property counseling, licensing, and litigation. At GHB Intellect, Chao leverages his scientific, legal, and business acumen to provide premium and comprehensive consulting services to a wide range of clients in the information technology, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries. Notably, Chao specializes in all aspects of IP analysis, including patent prosecution, portfolio management, landscape and prior art searches, freedom to operate, evidence of use, and validity and infringement opinions.
In addition to his substantial experience in scrutinizing IP, Chao is an expert in business and IP valuation. His valuations have been used to assist clients in enhancing their negotiations for fundraising, licensing, and sales, as well as for corporate restructuring, tax and regulatory compliance, and financial reporting and auditing. Chao is a pending Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) by the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts® and has served as both a consulting and testifying expert witness for matters related to business and IP valuations across various industries.
Prior to joining GHB Intellect, Chao was a patents and innovations and patent litigation attorney at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where he was involved in several high- stakes trials over pharmaceutical compounds. Chao holds a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology from the University of Wisconsin and has over 10 years of research experience in molecular biology, biochemistry, pharmacology, neuroscience, genetics, and behavioral psychology. He obtained his J.D and M.B.A. from the University of Southern California. Chao has been recognized as an industry leader through his inclusion in IAM Strategy 300. He is also highly dedicated to helping his communities and was previously a recipient of the Casa Cornelia Law Center Pro Bono Publico Award.
荒垣 雅夫 Masao (Mark) Aragaki, MBA
アジア代表 Senior Director, Asia
Aragaki-san has had a long and illustrious career in the high-tech industry, bringing some of the most successful products to various markets around the world. His 37-year long career at Sharp Corporation spanned around the global (Asia, US, Europe).
For 13 years, he was with Sharp Electronics in the US, where he led the PC, Tele-Communication, Business Productivity, LCD Display, Medical Equipment, and other high technology business units. Later, he successively headed Sharp UK, Sharp Germany, Sharp Europe, and finally Sharp’s Global Telecommunications unit. The numerous products that he brought to market became leaders in their respective areas.
After Sharp, and prior to joining GHB intellect, Mark was involved in a number of IP and entrepreneurial consulting, helping large and small high-tech companies achieve their business objectives. He received an MBA from Business School Lausanne (Switzerland) after MBA studies at the University of London.
Ali Khazaeli, PhD
Senior Technologist
Dr. Ali Khazaeli has over 15 years of research and development experience in battery, materials, and semiconductor technologies. He is an electrochemical engineer and a battery scientist, specializing in the reverse engineering, materials characterization, and analysis of advanced energy storage and semiconductor systems. His areas of expertise span battery cell architecture, materials science, electrochemical diagnostics.
Moreover, Ali has extensive experience in laboratory experimentations (XRD, XPS, SEM/EDX, FTIR, SIMS, TEM, EELS), enabling detailed compositional and structural analysis of anode, cathode, and electrolyte materials, as well as silicon- and graphene-enhanced composites.
Ali has also been quite involved in multiple aspects of intellectual property analysis, investigation, litigation support, strategy development, and valuation. He brings strong market insights and substantial experience in competitive analysis across global battery technologies.
Prior to GHB Intellect, Ali served as a scientist and subject matter expert at GBatteries and TechInsights. He holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Queen’s University and has published several journal papers and U.S. patents.
Matthew Lea
Senior Director, Marketing & Business Development
Mr. Matthew Lea brings more than 25 years of marketing, communications, and business development experience, with deep roots in both intellectual property and leading-edge technologies. At GHB Intellect, Matthew leads the firm’s marketing and business development strategy, driving brand positioning, market visibility, client acquisition, and growth initiatives across the firm’s global operations.
Prior to joining GHB Intellect, Matthew served as Senior Marketing Communications & PR Manager at MaxLinear, where he led global brand, public relations, and campaign strategy for a publicly traded semiconductor company. Before that, he held a Technical Manager role in marketing communications at MediaTek, where he managed cross-functional creative teams across four countries and led go-to-market campaigns for flagship mobile, IoT, and automotive semiconductor products. Earlier in his career, Matthew served as Director of Marketing at ICAP Patent Brokerage, where he built the company’s marketing department from the ground up. He developed and executed a comprehensive global marketing program spanning brand strategy, digital marketing, business development, trade show marketing, and client acquisition.
Matthew’s extensive background and experiences at the intersection of IP, technology, and marketing strategy uniquely qualifies him for his position at GHB Intellect. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, focusing on English Literature and Philosophy.
Tarek Elabbadi, J.D.
Director, Business Development
Mr. Tarek Elabbadi has over 20 years of management and consulting experience in technology and intellectual property. At GHB Intellect, he leverages his extensive training and experience in law, engineering, finance, and business to help clients harness the full potential of their technology and IP.
Prior to joining GHB Intellect, Tarek served as the board-elected CEO of a life sciences company. Prior to that, he served as President of an established IP consulting company with special focus on helping its clients worldwide to manage, assert, defend, and monetize their valuable IP assets.
Tarek has also worked at some of the largest US law firms in support of both IP litigation and patent prosecution. In litigation, he helped defend patent rights of firm clients in a number of international patent disputes in the fields of manufacturing and medical devices. In patent prosecution, he assisted in representing firm clients in numerous patent matters, with special focus on telecommunications, computer hardware and software, medical devices, and mechanical systems.
Tarek holds a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., and an Electrical Engineering Degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Ron Peñaflor
Manager, IP Research
Mr. Ron Peñaflor has over 15 years of industry experience in the field of semiconductor fabrication, testing and yield optimization, working in large corporations and successful startup companies. Moreover, as a patent agent, he has also been utilizing his broad and balanced skill set in support of patent prosecutions working with both in-house and law firm counsel.
During his employment at a law firm, Ron provided technical and legal support in high profile litigation cases. He has drafted and prosecuted numerous patent applications in electronic and mechanical devices and has performed extensive research and analyses for top-tier high-tech companies.
Ron received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of California at San Diego. He is also a registered patent agent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Ryan Heidari, PhD-ABD
Senior Patent Brokering Specialist
Mr. Ryan Heidari (no relation to Dr. Ghobad Heidari) has been involved in intellectual property development, analysis and transactions for over 25 years. In recent years, he has been helping clients with their IP analysis, strategy, and brokerage requirements.
From 2004 to 2015, he served as Director of Product Development at Qualcomm, where he oversaw various marketing operations while establishing competitive product and IP roadmap for the company. His technical expertise and his leadership in various standards led to commercial deployment of many novel technologies & services for Qualcomm.
Prior to Qualcomm, Ryan was a Program Manager at Nokia Mobile Phones for 12 years. He was managing a large group of technical staff and was responsible for the design and implementation of various technologies for Nokia smartphones. His extensive experiences in the industry also include Pitney Bowes, Rockwell International, and Xerox.
Ryan received his PhD-ABD in Electrical Engineering from University of Southern California and his MSEE from San Diego State University. He has been granted many patents and has authored various technical journal articles.
Susana Ankamah
IP Project Manager
Ms. Susana Ankamah possesses a broad and deep understanding of key aspects of intellectual property, from analysis and valuation to prosecution, licensing, and monetization. At GHB Intellect, Susana leverages her scientific foundation, IP acumen, and project management expertise to provide comprehensive and strategic consulting services to a diverse clientele.
Susana has extensive experience in valuation and specializes in delivering defensible, data-driven IP valuations for patents, patent portfolios, trade secrets, and technology assets across industries including artificial intelligence, software, semiconductors, and life sciences. Her work includes applying income-based valuation methods (discounted cash flow / DCF), market comparables, and cost approaches, as well as integrating patent analytics, Evidence-of-Use analysis, technology commercialization strategy, and competitive landscape assessments to quantify the economic value of patents and trade secrets.
Susana is particularly focused on chemistry-related intellectual property valuation and emerging technology valuation, helping clients assess the value of novel compounds and processes in rapidly evolving markets. She works at the intersection of IP law, valuation, and business strategy, advising clients on IP monetization, patent licensing programs, portfolio optimization, and risk mitigation.
Prior to joining GHB Intellect, Susana served as a Patent Examiner at the USPTO, where she developed deep expertise in patentability analysis, prior art evaluation, and prosecution strategy. She also worked as an IP Analyst and IP Consultant, building hands-on experience in patent valuation, IP due diligence, portfolio analytics, and intellectual asset management across the full IP lifecycle.
Susana’s combined experience in patent examination, IP valuation, and technology analysis enables her to deliver credible, litigation-ready valuation opinions and strategic insights that withstand scrutiny from courts, investors, and counterparties. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Advisory Board
GHB Intellect’s advisory board is comprised of industry thought leaders with decades of experience. Their knowledge and expertise contribute immensely to GHB Intellect, helping to provide unparalleled value to our clients.
Ross Farahani, PhD
Dr. Farahani received his PhD degree in Materials Science and Engineering in 1980. Over the past 27 years he has been employed by several of the semiconductor industry leaders (United Technologies Mostek, SGS Thompson, AMD, and Intel), where he was instrumental in the development and integration of multiple innovative processes in semiconductors device fabrication and packaging assembly. Many of the processes are still in production. His work experience encompasses interconnect process technology development and integration for DRAM, Flash nonvolatile memory, microprocessor, and high voltage Bipolar. While at AMD, he also managed the integration group responsible for interconnect technology research, development, and integration for high voltage bipolar technology. Dr. Farahani was an AMD Technical Fellow and has numerous publications and patents in semiconductor interconnect metallization.
Graham Beaton, PhD
Dr. Beaton is a life sciences entrepreneur engaged in developing new product opportunities in healthcare and bolsters the GHB Intellect technology development service offering. He is President and co-founder of Epigen Biosciences Inc., a project incubator located in San Diego and co-founder and acting Chief Science Officer at Curtana Pharmaceuticals, an early-stage startup engaged in the discovery and development of novel targeted treatments for glioblastoma and other brain cancers. Dr. Beaton has gained more than 20 years working experience in the healthcare sector with respect to pharmaceuticals and biotechnology from companies including Amgen, DuPont Pharmaceuticals and Neurocrine Biosciences.
Hossein Rahbar, PhD
Prof. Rahbar obtained his PhD degree in Statistics from Michigan State University (MSU) in East Lansing, Michigan, in 1988. In 2008, Dr. Rahbar joined the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) as Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the School of Public Health. He also serves as Director, Biostatistics/Epidemiology/Research Design (BERD) component of Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS) at UTHealth. In 2012, Prof. Rahbar was appointed as the founding Director of the Division of Clinical and Translational Sciences (DCTS) in the Department of Internal Medicine at UTHealth.
Currently, he is a tenured professor in Internal Medicine and the School of Public Health. Prof. Rahbar is a member of several professional organizations including Joint Statistical Meeting (JSM), American Statistical Association (ASA), Society of Epidemiological Research (SER), International Society for Autism Research (INSAR), Canadian-USA Clinical Epidemiology Network, Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute. He serves as a member of Advisory Group to the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding Maternal and Perinatal Health Research and Reproductive Epidemiology. He is Editor-in-Chief of American Journal of Autism (AJA) and recipient of several prestigious grant awards from NICHD, NIEHS, NHLBI, NINDS, DoD, and WHO.
Farah Babakhani, PhD
Dr. Babakhani has 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical industry and diagnostic laboratory management. She was a key contributor to the microbiological development of the recently approved Fidaxomicin antibiotic and contributed to pre-clinical development of other anti-infectives. Her contributions have led to several peer-reviewed publications and patent authorships. Prior to working in the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Babakhani managed a diagnostic clinical microbiology laboratory.