Nicholas Rada serves as the Deputy Chief Economist at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, where his research focuses on intellectual property, economic growth, venture capital, and agriculture. He joined the USPTO in 2019 from the Economic Research Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where he researched the nexus of science policy, food security, and total factor productivity (TFP) in rapidly emerging agricultural competitors Brazil, Russia, India, Indonesia, and China. Nicholas started his career by receiving a BS in Economics and an MS in Agricultural Economics from West Virginia University, and a PhD in Agricultural Economics from Oregon State University.