Joshua is counsel in the firm’s intellectual property transactions group and advises public and private companies, academic institutions and individuals on a variety of commercial transactions. He has deep experience structuring and negotiating collaborative research and development arrangements; trademark, patent and other licensing agreements; supply, manufacturing and transition service agreements; and general commercial contracts. His practice also includes advising on intellectual property matters and earnout arrangements as part of merger and acquisition transactions and initial public offerings.

Joshua worked in Ropes & Gray's corporate department from 2013 until 2021, when he transitioned to an in-house business development role at Gingko Bioworks. He returned to Ropes & Gray in 2025 as counsel.

Clients appreciate Joshua’s unique combination of legal and business acumen, developed in his roles as both a lawyer and a business development executive. His firsthand experience enables him to act as a trusted advisor to in-house business teams, facilitate pragmatic dealmaking, and craft innovative, mutually beneficial solutions. 

Experience

Strategic Life Sciences Transactions

  • Ginkgo Bioworks, in multiple transactions, both as an attorney at Ropes & Gray and in a business development role at Gingko Bioworks, including:
    • as legal counsel, on its partnership with Berkeley Lights to use BLI's optofluidic platform in Ginkgo's genetic engineering foundries.
    • as BD lead*, on:
      • multiple collaboration and license arrangements with Novo Nordisk focused on early pipeline projects, further technology exploration, and scalable manufacturing solutions.
      • a collaboration with Merck to optimize certain existing Merck production processes, with commercial and clinical milestones of up to $490 million.
      • multiple collaboration and license arrangements with Centrient Pharmaceuticals to optimize the enzymatic production of certain APIs, thereby reducing the cost and environmental impact of such manufacturing.
      • an asset purchase agreement and collaboration agreement with Bayer Crop Sciences, pursuant to which Ginkgo acquired Bayer’s 175,000-square-foot West Sacramento agricultural biologicals facility and team, and collaborate on sustainable agricultural solutions.
  • Takeda Pharmaceuticals on the spin-out of Cerevance, a neuroscience company focused on discovering and developing novel therapeutics for neurological and psychiatric disorders.
  • Pfizer Inc. in multiple transactions, including:
    • a strategic agreement with MedGenesis Therapeutix forglial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor protein and convection enhanced delivery technology.
    • a stock and asset purchase agreement relating to its acquisition of a late-stage small molecule anti-infectives business from AstraZeneca for $1.575 billion.
    • the renegotiation of a strategic collaboration agreement.
  • Tmunity Therapeutics in multiple transactions, including:
    • intellectual property matters related to its Series A financing.
    • an exclusive license and sponsored research agreement with the University of San Francisco aimed at advancing engineered T-cell Receptor (TCR) therapies for rare pediatric conditions.
    • a collaboration agreement with Oncora Medical for the creation of synthetic control arm of patients to be used in connection with seeking regulatory approval for an oncology therapeutic.
    • an exclusive license and sponsored research agreement with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to advance a glypican 2 (GPC2) chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy for the treatment of neuroblastoma.
  • A multinational medical technology company in multiple transactions involving the sale of separate business units.
  • Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, a U.S.-based biotechnology company specializing in gene therapies, in its $2 billion sale to Bayer, a Germany-based pharmaceutical and life sciences company.
  • Agios Pharmaceuticals on various commercial agreements, including a packaging agreement and logistics agreements for certain pharmaceutical products.

Intellectual Property Licensing

  • The Museum of Fine Arts on various intellectual property and trademark licensing matters relating to its sale of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts to Tufts University.
  • IASIS Healthcare on various trademark licensing matters relating to its construction of a medical hospital.

Additional Mergers, Acquisitions and Commercial Experience

  • Dunkin’ Brands on various intellectual property matters related to a $2.6 billion securitization financing and $1.55 billion securitization financing.
  • TPG in its $1.15 billion minority investment in Hellman & Friedman’s acquisition of Checkmarx from Insight Partners.
  • TSG Consumer Partners in several transactions, including:
    • its $700 million investment in Pabst Brewing Company.
    • its acquisition of American Technologies, a provider of construction restoration and environmental remediation services.
  • Numerous private clients with creation and protection of various artistic works, including: the creation of photographs of paintings for use in a catalogue raisonné about the works of George Romney; and the creation of photographs of clothing and ephemera for use in a book about American fashion.

*Handled while working at Gingko Bioworks

Areas of Practice