Doug specialises in drafting, prosecuting and in providing related opinion matters for patents in chemistry, pharmacology and nanotechnology, especially in organic and medicinal chemistry and pharmaceuticals. Doug has been involved in preparing and prosecuting patent applications in areas such as pharmaceuticals, peptides, natural products, waste treatment, physiology, medical treatment methods, agricultural chemicals and medical devices.

Doug completed his doctorate in medicinal chemistry at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience at the University of Queensland, which also involved six months at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. His PhD entailed developing and extending drug discovery platform technologies in collaboration with an Australian biotechnology company, and his research spanned heterocyclic, macrocyclic and peptide chemistry as well as organometallic and combinatorial chemistry. Doug's Honours thesis involved synthesising various peptide derivatives and then performing pharmacological assays to determine their biological activity.

In the course of his studies, Doug received awards including a University Medal (University of Queensland), the Davies Collison Cave Prize for Patent Law (University of Melbourne), and the Edward Taylor Memorial Prize in Chemistry (University of Queensland). He was also awarded scholarships including the Australian Bicentennial Scholarship (the Menzies Centre for Australian Studies, King's College London).

Prior to commencing a career as a patent attorney, Doug worked for the Queensland Chief Scientist. In this role he provided advice and analysis on issues relating to the strategic development of science, research and innovation in Queensland and Australia. He has also worked at IMBcom to commercialise research emerging from the Institute for Molecular Bioscience at the University of Queensland.