Gregory N. Mandel, the Peter J. Liacouras Professor of Law and associate dean for research at Temple University Beasley School of Law, has been appointed interim dean of Temple Law School, effective immediately. Mandel succeeds JoAnne Epps, who was recently appointed university provost.

“Greg is perfectly suited to step into this leadership role at Temple Law School,” Epps said. “His commitment to excellence in teaching, research and service is evident in everything he does, and his relationships within the school, university and the broader legal community will provide stability during this time of transition.”

An expert in intellectual property and the interface among technology, science and the law, Mandel’s scholarship has been selected as top intellectual property and top patent law articles of the year, and his article Patently Non-Obvious was identified as one of the most-cited patent law articles of the past decade.

Highly regarded by his students, Mandel teaches Introduction to Intellectual Property, Patent Law, Advanced Patent Law, and Property, a required course for first-year law students.

Before joining Temple in 2007, Mandel served as a professor and associate dean for research and scholarship at Albany Law School. He has also held visiting professorships at the University of Paris-Nanterre, through a Fulbright Senior Specialist grant; the University of Canterbury School of Law in New Zealand; and the University of Cádiz Faculty of Law in Spain.

“It has been a true pleasure working so closely with JoAnne, and it is an honor to continue the incredible work she has done at Temple Law School,” Mandel said. “I am excited about our future and am looking forward to helping lead the law school into it.”

A frequent speaker on intellectual property and technology law issues, Mandel has presented more than 100 times in over 15 countries, including for the United Nations, the Patent and Trademark Office, the American Bar Association and the National Academy of Science. He has previously served on the Executive Committee of the Intellectual Property Section of the Association of American Law Schools.

Before entering academia, he practiced law with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in San Francisco. Mandel also served as law clerk for Judge Jerome Farris, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit of Appeals and interned for Chief Judge Anthony J. Scirica, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Mandel received his law degree from Stanford Law School and his undergraduate degree in physics and astronomy from Wesleyan University. Mandel worked on NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope prior to attending law school.

A search will be conducted for a permanent replacement.