Who Is CD

Jon Putnam

Jon PutnamJon Putnam founded Competition Dynamics as a platform for economic research and testimony at the intersection of intellectual property, competition, and international trade law.

Jon Putnam holds BA, MA and PhD degrees in economics from Yale University, where he specialized in international, macro and R&D economics. He received fellowships at Yale and Columbia Law Schools, and a Yale International and Area Studies fellowship for the study of European patent systems. Dr. Putnam’s PhD thesis, The Value of International Patent Rights, was the first to measure the global value of patent rights.

From 2001 to 2005, Dr. Putnam held a professorship in the Law and Economics of Intellectual Property at the Centre for Innovation Law and Policy, University of Toronto. Dr. Putnam has also held academic appointments at the Boston University Graduate School of Management, Columbia University Schools of Law and Business, Vassar College, and Yale College.

Among other publications, Dr. Putnam is the author of “Patent Valuation,” in The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics (2008); “The Law and Economics of International Intellectual Property: A Primer,” in Frontiers of Economics and Globalization, vol. 2: Intellectual Property, Growth and Trade (2008); and is the editor of and a principal contributor to Intellectual Property Rights and Innovation in the Knowledge-Based Economy (2006).

Dr. Putnam has been retained in more than 100 consulting engagements and has testified more than 40 times in patent, antitrust, copyright, trade secret, contract and tax actions in federal, state and bankruptcy courts; before the US Federal Trade Commission, International Trade Commission, and Tax Court; in US and international arbitrations; and in regulatory proceedings in Canada and India.

Dr. Putnam regularly testifies in large-scale intellectual property litigation. Cases with more than $1 billion in controversy include:

  • Medtronic v Internal Revenue Service
  • Apple v Qualcomm
  • Idenix v Gilead Sciences
  • Ericsson v Huawei
  • Ericsson v Apple
  • Ericsson v Samsung
  • InterDigital v Samsung

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Ngoc Ngo

Economist

Ngoc NgoNgoc Ngo completed her PhD in Applied Economics with a focus on Industrial Organization at Northeastern University in 2019. Before her doctoral studies, Ngoc attended Bates College, where she graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Economics.

Ngoc’s PhD dissertation applied a modified version of the random-coefficient discrete choice model to quantify the impact of United Airlines’ decision to cease its hub operations at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport on consumer welfare and the firm’s profits. In general, Ngoc is passionate about working with data to formulate economic models to solve real-world problems.

Since joining CD, Ngoc has built models and conducted analyses related to damage calculation, valuation of new technologies and determining reasonable royalty terms in telecommunication and pharmaceutical industries. Ngoc is developing improved algorithms to rank patents and evaluate innovators’ patent portfolio; and has worked on various economic research to enhance methodologies used in Intellectual Property related litigation.
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Ratib Ali

Economist

Ratib AliRatib Ali has a PhD in Economics from Boston College, with a focus in industrial organization and competition policy.

Ratib’s research revolved around how government regulation informs and impacts firm incentives. Ratib’s PhD thesis modeled demand for and supply of air travel to estimate the marginal cost of an “airport slot” (permit to fly one flight) at Reagan Airport, allowing him to compute the changes in consumer welfare stemming from structural remedies mandated by DOJ following the US Airways-American Airlines merger. By exploiting the exogeneity of Newark Airport’s dissolution of slot controls, Ratib also investigated the foreclosure incentives engendered by the “use-it-or-lose-it” feature of freely provided airport slots.

Prior to joining CD, Ratib worked at The Brattle Group as an Associate, where he focused in analyzing antitrust claims and estimating economic damages in industries as varied as healthcare, e-commerce, gig economy, and fine arts. Ratib is the former Economic Analyst at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, Antitrust Division. There, his economic analyses and litigation support aided in enforcing federal and state antitrust laws in investigations spanning pharmaceutical, technology, and aviation industries.

Ratib also enjoys teaching; he taught Principles and Intermediate Microeconomics at Boston College from 2016 to 2019, Principles and Cultural Economics at Emerson College from 2019 to 2020, and teaches Intermediate Microeconomics at Tufts University since 2023.
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Chen Wang

Associate

Chen WangChen Wang received his Ph.D. in Economics from Clemson University in 2019 and Master’s degree in Economics from North Carolina State University in 2013.

Chen’s fields of interest include industrial organization, applied econometrics, and empirical microeconomics. His job market paper analyzes competition among firms and their choices on product quality and variety in markets with unified final good prices as applied to the U.S. film industry. By constructing a theoretical model and applying multiple econometric methods, this research reveals the previously unknown effect of expected market demand of the release week on the choices of films’ production budgets and genres, which are proxies for quality and variety, respectively.

In addition to research, Chen has extensive teaching experience as an instructor at Clemson University. He taught Principles of Microeconomics and Principles of Macroeconomics from 2015 to 2019.

Prior to joining CD, Chen was a transfer pricing Economist at PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLC in San Francisco. At PwC, Chen participated in and managed a wide range of transfer pricing projects serving various clients, which are mostly large multinational enterprises around the globe.
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Pinar Gencer

Senior Associate

Pinar GencerDr. Pinar Gencer specializes in patent infringement, FRAND disputes and preliminary injunctions. She helps clients with licensing and damages assessments before district courts and the International Trade Commission. Pinar works with both patent holders and implementers on issues related to patent valuation, exclusion orders and the negotiation of non-discriminatory licensing terms.

With an advanced degree in accounting and extensive experience in economic analysis, Pinar excels in innovative ways to employ public financial disclosures and other generally accepted accounting principles to extract information about the value of patents and patent portfolios. She has in-depth experience valuing patents and licenses in the telecommunications, semiconductor, satellite and pharmaceutical industries, as well as patents essential to cellular, IEEE 802.11 and HEVC standards.

Pinar received her PhD in Accounting from the University of Texas at Dallas, where her research was recognized by Harvard University and received one of six distinguished paper awards in the accounting discipline at the Rising Scholars Conference. Before economic consulting, she taught financial accounting classes at the University of Texas at Dallas.
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Will VanRenterghem

Associate Manager

Will VanRenterghemWill VanRenterghem joined CD after graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics & Mathematics from Northeastern University in 2021.

While at CD, Will has made valuable contributions as an analyst, and then senior analyst, on projects in the medical device, semiconductor, and telecom industries, among others. His work has spanned all aspects of expert testimony, including: legal and technological research; deposition and trial prep; and regression, damages calculation, and other quantitative analyses. Since 2024, Will has relied on that experience to manage teams in preparing expert reports. In addition to his work for clients, Will has also contributed to
internal research projects regarding standard essential patents, and acts as a co-coordinator for CD’s internal training program.

Will enjoys learning about the interactions between intellectual property rights, their respective markets, and the law. He closely follows current discussion surrounding the licensing and protection of intellectual property, and has represented CD at a number of industry conferences and meetings.
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Zacharia Schell

Senior Analyst

Zacharia SchellZacharia Schell joined CD after graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics & Business Administration from Gordon College in 2021. During his studies, he cultivated his passion for research and the truth that it reveals as well as his love for data and statistics.

While at CD, Zacharia has demonstrated and honed his skills in data cleaning and analysis. Along with the models he has taken charge of, his attention to detail and care for consistency have made him a valuable resource to the team when creating exhibits and drafting report text used in litigation. In addition to this, Zacharia has also stepped up to lead data analysis for research papers and has taken on an additional role in the training of new hires as well as the day-to-day activities of the team.

Zacharia’s plan for the future is to continue to lead, both technically and interpersonally, within the analyst group. Eventually, he plans to continue his studies in the legal and business sectors, with a hope to apply his analytical skills to solving problems that matter to him.
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Aarjan Rupakheti

Analyst

Aarjan RupakhetiAarjan Rupakheti joined CD after graduating in 2022 from Boston College (BC) with an M.S. in Applied Economics with a Data Analytics Certificate. He also holds a B.A. in Quantitative Economics with a Math minor from Dickinson College.

At Dickinson, Aarjan undertook labor market research to understand the effects of low skilled immigration on native unemployment conditions across metropolitan areas in the U.S. He used fixed effect regression models to understand how influx of immigrants had varying effects in areas with different labor market conditions. Aarjan also interned as a Research Analyst at Burning Glass Institute where he researched the present conditions and prospects of human capital demand for Electric Vehicle growth for the Executive Office of the President of the United States (POTUS).

Aarjan is interested in econometrics, industrial organization, and the intersection of game theory and machine learning. At CD, he hopes to enhance his data handling, economic modeling, and project management skills in a professional setting. He is interested in pursuing a PhD in Economics, focusing on Industrial Organization.
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Anjali Agrawal

Analyst

Anjali AgrawalAnjali Agrawal joined CD after graduating from Boston University with a Masters of Arts in Global Development Economics. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies in India.

During her time in BU, she was a research assistant focusing on a development project that looked at the efficacy of peer mentorship training with the aim to improve political agency of female elected officials in rural India. For this project, she conducted research on village proxy head politics through a pilot baseline survey and intervention. Before joining CD, she also worked as a Short-Term Consultant at the World Bank Poverty and Equity Practice where she was responsible for making multi-imputation consumption models, computing poverty rates and delivering technical documents to the survey teams.

Anjali is interested in labor economics, econometrics, microeconomics and development studies. At CD, she hopes to learn more about practical economic solutions to the real-world problems that corporates face today. She also plans to expand her skillset of quantitative analysis and research writing.
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Celia Lu

Analyst

Celia Lu
Celia Lu joined CD after graduating from Yale University with a master's degree in International Development Economics. Before her master’s studies, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics & Sociology, graduating summa cum laude, from William & Mary.

During her time at both schools, Celia was particularly interested in social problems, economic policies, and the interaction of the two. Her undergraduate thesis explored the long-term economic effects of social spending and evaluated the U.S. housing subsidy program. Her master’s thesis discussed how participants’ responses to program options could bias policy evaluation results in the case of the Moving to Opportunity program. As an active research assistant, she worked on multiple projects conducting time-series analysis, constructing spatial data, and cleaning datasets.

Celia is passionate about applying economic theories to real world problems and finding solutions for people in need. At CD, she hopes to immerse herself in the world of intellectual property and learn about the social, economic, and political interests around it. She also wants to further develop her skills in complex quantitative data analysis.
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Hanlin Chen

Analyst

Hanlin ChenHanlin Chen joined CD after graduating from Tufts University with a Masters of Science in Data Analytics. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Asset Appraisal with a minor in Applied Statistics from Shanghai University of International Business & Economics in Shanghai, China.

While in school, Hanlin completed various internships in asset and company valuation projects and targeted marketing and sales. At CD, Hanlin applies her data analytics skills in a broad range of client projects and internal research, including gathering data for analysis, cleaning and processing data, and analyzing data to support and construct damages evaluation. Hanlin has also made a valuable contribution to the company’s internal database regarding standard essential patents, and she is actively involved in an internal research project related to time series.

In the future, Hanlin plans to further develop her proficiency in data analytics and expand her area of focus to include antitrust, intellectual property, patent protection, and other relevant fields.
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Srushti Dhoke

Analyst

Srushti DhokeSrushti Dhoke joined CD after graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics & Mathematics and a minor in Business Administration & Management from Boston University in 2022.

While at university, Srushti was a founding member of various startups where she was required to manage potential partners, customers, and service providers while ensuring the startup’s offering was innovative and viable. She was also a teaching assistant in the Finance department at Boston University, an experience which equipped her with strong research and quantitative analysis skills.

Srushti developed a keen interest in microeconomic theory and empirical analysis during her studies; at CD she enjoys learning how these can be applied to real problems that clients face. Through her participation in the company’s project work and general research, Srushti is planning to expand her horizons and discover new interests, after which she is considering pursuing an advanced degree.
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Sudarshan Bashyal

Analyst

Sudarshan BashyalSudarshan Bashyal joined CD after graduating with a Master of Science degree in Economics from Tufts University in 2023. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Howard University.

As part of his master’s degree, Sudarshan wrote a thesis titled “Birthyear environment and adult life outcomes for females: evidence from Nepal”. Using historical rainfall and temperature data and matching it with survey data, he investigated how weather shocks in early stages of life affect long run human capital outcomes.

During his matriculation at Howard University, Sudarshan served as the president of the Abram Harris Economics Society and led the Howard team at the National College FED Challenge. Sudarshan also interned at Morningstar, Inc. where his team conducted research and analyzed the expansion of the company’s services to private markets.

Sudarshan is interested in econometrics, applied microeconomics, development economics and data analysis. At CD, he hopes to further his research capabilities in data analysis, statistical modelling and report writing, as well as to hone his leadership and project management skills.

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Lou Zetes

General Manager

Lou ZetesLou Zetes joined Competition Dynamics in 2016 as General Manager. Lou develops the firm's organizational structure and capabilities, manages our strategic talent acquisition and oversees the firm's day-to-day activities.

After a fifteen-year career in international banking at Citigroup, Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs, Lou founded Market People, an executive search boutique specializing in the recruitment of front office investment banking staff. Lou brings that wealth of experience in high-performance business environments to Competition Dynamics.

Lou holds an MA in International Business from the University of South Carolina and a BA in German from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

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Kerri Lavertu Stamm

Director of Operations

Kerri Lavertu StammKerri Lavertu Stamm came to Competition Dynamics after spending nearly 8 years at Charles River Associates, where she worked in new business development/conflict administration. Before that, Kerri worked in client intake/conflict control at Ropes & Gray LLP.

Kerri has a degree in Elementary Education from St. Joseph’s College in Maine. In addition, she operated a successful photography business, Dave & Kerri Photography, for several years, and now focuses on her travel photography, which can be seen periodically in local galleries and in photography publications such as Shutter Magazine.

At CD Kerri handles all aspects of firm management including human resources, financial administration, AR/AP, as well as day-to-day business operations.

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Jessica Powell

Financial Operations Manager

Jessica PowellJessica Powell originally joined Competition Dynamics in 2014 as an Administrative Assistant, providing both Jonathan Putnam and Kerri Stamm support in the day to day running of the company.

She took a brief hiatus from the company from 2018-2020, during which time she earned a degree at the State University of New York-New Paltz. In 2020, she graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sociology and a concentration in Criminology.

Since returning to CD, in addition to assisting with the day to day operations of the company, she simultaneously earned her M.A. in Criminal Justice at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell and was promoted to CD’s Financial Operations Manager, taking responsibility for all aspects of the company financials.
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Competition Dynamics, Inc

10 Federal Street, Suite 301
Salem, MA 01970
617.394.1940