NAI Fellows
ABOUT
The NAI Fellows Program was established to highlight academic inventors who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society. Election to NAI Fellow status is the highest professional distinction accorded solely to academic inventors.
The program has 1,228 Fellows worldwide representing more than 250 prestigious universities and governmental and non-profit research institutes. Collectively, the Fellows hold more than 38,000 issued U.S. patents, which have generated over 13,000 licensed technologies and 2,300 companies, and created more than 19.5 million jobs. In addition, over $2.2 trillion in revenue has been generated based on NAI Fellow discoveries.
With the induction of the 2019 class, there are now more than 137 presidents and senior leaders of research universities and non-profit research institutes; 556 members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; 42 inductees of the National Inventors Hall of Fame; 63 recipients of the U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation and U.S. National Medal of Science; 38 Nobel Laureates; and 3 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering recipients, among other awards and distinctions.
Call for Nominations
Preliminary Nomination Requirements at NC State:
- A citation of impact from the Nominator containing evidence of the nominee’s outstanding contributions/achievements in innovation, describing the nominee’s work and the impact that their work, inventions, companies and/or products have had on society. No more than one (1) page.
- A description of how the nominee has supported and enhanced an environment of innovation in Universities or the non-profit sector. Please note that only nominations with strong and documentable evidence with regard to this key NAI Fellow selection criterion will be considered for nomination by the Chancellor. No more than one-half (1/2) page.
- Nominee’s CV to include a Full List of U.S. patents.
- Full List of any Startup companies or other companies that the nominee has worked with.
- Full List of any products that have resulted from the nominee’s work.
Preliminary nominations can include a list of proposed referees but need not include the references themselves.
Submit preliminary nominations to Wade Fulghum, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Office of Research Commercialization, at commercialization@ncsu.edu by June 1st, 2020.
Current NAI Fellows
Rodolphe Barrangou, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor in the Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences
2019 NAI Fellow
Kenneth R. Swartzel, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor in the Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences
2019 NAI Fellow
Carlos Pignataro
Adjunct lecturer in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
2019 NAI Fellow
Sylvia M Blankenship, Ph.D.
Emerita Professor and Senior Associate Dean – NC State
2018 NAI Fellow
Koji Sode, Ph.D.
Professor of Biomedical Engineering
and William R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor – UNC
2018 NAI Fellow
Donald Bitzer, Ph.D.
Distinguished University Research Professor – NC State
2017 NAI Fellow
William Ditto, Ph.D.
Professor – NC State
2017 NAI Fellow
Alexander V. Kabanov, Ph.D., Dr.Sci.
Director, Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery and Mescal S. Ferguson Distinguished Professor – UNC
2017 NAI Fellow
Jayant Baliga, Ph.D.
Distinguished University Professor – NC State
2016 NAI Fellow
Ruben Carbonell, Ph.D.
Frank Hawkins Kenan Distinguished Professor – NC State
2016 NAI Fellow
Harold Kohn, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus – UNC
2016 NAI Fellow
Frances Ligler, Ph.D.
Lampe Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering – NC State
2016 NAI Fellow
Nancy Allbritton, Ph.D.
Kenan Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Chemistry and Chair, Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering – UNC
2014 NAI Fellow
Jay Narayan, Ph.D.
John C. Fan Distinguished Chair Professor – NC State
2014 NAI Fellow
David Aspnes, Ph.D.
Distinguished University Professor and Director of Graduate Programs – NC State
2013 NAI Fellow
Jerry Cuomo, Ph.D.
Distinguished Research Professor – NC State
2013 NAI Fellow
Joseph DeSimone, Ph.D.
Chancellor’s Eminent Professor of Chemistry – UNC
2013 NAI Fellow
Oliver Smithies, Ph.D.
Nobel laureate and Weatherspoon Eminent Distinguished Professor – UNC
2012 NAI Fellow
Franky So, Ph.D.
Walter and Ida Freeman Distinguished Professor – NC State
2012 NAI Fellow