Kristen Jakobsen Osenga teaches intellectual property courses, including Patent Law, Trademark and Unfair Competition Law, and International Intellectual Property. She joined the law school in 2006, after teaching two years as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Chicago-Kent College of Law. Her most recent research has focused on the intersection between law and language in the field of patent law. Professor Osenga has also written on statutory subject matter in patent law, patent exploitation by universities, patent office reform, and intellectual property protection for databases and software. She is a frequent speaker at academic and bar presentations.

After being awarded a B.S.E. in biomedical engineering from the University of Iowa and an M.S. in electrical engineering from Southern Illinois University, Professor Osenga attended the University of Illinois College of Law, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude and was elected to Order of the Coif. After graduation, she worked at the intellectual property law firm of Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett, & Dunner LLP in Washington, DC, and then clerked for Judge Richard Linn of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.