Law School to host 2026 Nies Lecture, April 16

The Law School will host the 2026 Nies Lecture on Thursday, April 16, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Lubar Center at Eckstein Hall. The lecture will be followed immediately by a public reception.

The program is complimentary; however, registration is required by Wednesday, April 8. Attendees can register online.

This year's lecture, titled "The Hidden Curriculum: Promoting Inclusion in Invention and Innovation," will be presented by Colleen Chien, professor of law and co-director of the Center for Law & Technology at the University of California, Berkeley.

Chien will discuss how talent in invention, innovation and intellectual property is broadly distributed across the population, yet achievement in these areas remains concentrated.

Her lecture will explore the concept of a "hidden curriculum" - the exposure, insights, know-how and practices that help individuals advance in companies, law firms and law schools. She will also share research aimed at identifying this curriculum and discuss the benefits of making these insights more widely accessible.

Chien's teaching and research focus on innovation, intellectual property and artificial intelligence, with an emphasis on how technology, data and innovation can be used to achieve social benefit.

In addition to her academic work, she served as a senior advisor and later senior consultant in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy from 2013 to 2015. She earned her law degree from Berkeley Law and holds B.A. and B.S. degrees from Stanford University.

The annual lecture honors the Honorable Helen Wilson Nies, who served as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit from 1982 to 1996 and as chief judge from 1990 to 1994.