Alihan Kaya
Patent Advisor
Alihan joined Pitch as a Patent Advisor in 2026, specialising in electromechanical engineering. He entered the IP field early in his academic journey by translating numerous patents as a student, followed by a 2009 internship as a patent engineer at the Institut für Fahrzeugtechnik (TU Braunschweig), where he conducted patent landscape studies for Volkswagen HQ.
He then spent over a decade in academic research, publishing in top-tier journals, and in industry consultancy, focusing on thermal energy systems, microfluidics and electromechanics while remaining tied to IP practice. At the Sabancı University Nanotechnology Research Centre in Istanbul, he conducted experimental research on microfluidics and microscale heat transfer, and obtained his MSc in Mechatronics Engineering in 2012. At Ghent University’s Sustainable Thermo-Fluid Energy Systems (STFES) lab, he continued his research on heat exchanger designs for industrial thermal systems, advised major HVAC&R and thermal energy companies across Belgium and Europe, and completed his PhD in Electromechanical Engineering in 2020 on flow boiling heat transfer.
His industry and advisory experience includes managing EMEA IP operations at Daikin Europe as in-house IP consultant, liaising with the Japanese headquarters, followed by a postdoctoral role at the MOBI centre of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, where he combined research, IP strategy and business development to secure competitive funding in smart mobility and electromechanical energy systems. From 2022 to 2025, he was Global IP Account Manager at a prominent Turkish IP consultancy, advising global players entering the Turkish market and contributing actively to INTA and AIPPI. Before joining Pitch, he advised American, European and Turkish tech companies as an independent IP consultant, while also teaching Dutch and Turkish through his brand PolyLingua® and at community colleges in Brussels and Ghent. Along the way, he obtained his LLM in IP Law and Management from CEIPI (University of Strasbourg) in 2026, with a thesis on deep tech IP management.
He is an active member of AIPPI, CLP, LES, IP4ET and I3PM.
Outside work, he enjoys spending time with his family. He has released a solo album, won a national prize for his acting in a film, and wrote several theatre monologues that made it to the stage. He is also an officially accredited teacher of Dutch and Turkish.
Languages: English, Dutch, German and Turkish (native); intermediate French, Russian and Japanese.