Four SUNY professors elected to the National Academy of Inventors
Four SUNY faculty have been elected to National Academy of Inventors (NAI) Fellow status, which is the highest professional distinction accorded to academic inventors: Distinguished Professor Jessica Fridrich, Binghamton University; Quanxi Jia, University at Buffalo; and Kenneth Kaushansky and F. William Studier, Stony Brook University.
Fridrich, a Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has spent her tenure at Binghamton University focused on various topics in data embedding for security, covert communications, steganalysis and digital multimedia forensics. One of her many patents is for an identification method that allows researchers to detect a camera’s unique fingerprint from the image itself. The technology was even featured in the 2009 film Beyond a Reasonable Doubt.
Jia, Empire Innovation Professor and National Grid Professor of Materials Research, at the University at Buffalo, holds 48 U.S. patents. His research areas include the synthesis and study of structure-property relationships of nanostructured materials, multifunctional materials, and thin films; the development of innovative deposition techniques for the growth of electronic materials; and the development and fabrication of novel solid-state microelectronic and electro-optic devices.
Dr. Kaushansky, Senior Vice President of the Health Sciences and Dean of the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, is known internationally for his seminal research on the molecular biology of blood cell production. During his tenure at Stony Brook, Dr. Kaushansky has spearheaded the expansion of academic programs and training within the School of Medicine and Health Sciences and has overseen the development of the Medical and Research Translation (MART) Building.
Studier, Adjunct Professor of Biochemistry at Stony Brook University and a Senior Biophysicist Emeritus at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, is best known for his invention of an efficient system for engineering common E. coli bacteria to produce almost any desired protein from a cloned gene.
The 2018 class of NAI Fellows has made an incredible impact in a variety of fields, including biomedical engineering, laser photonics and computer sciences. Included among this year’s NAI Fellows are more than 25 presidents and senior leaders of research universities and non-profit research institutes; five recipients of the U.S. National Medal of Technology & Innovation and U.S. National Medal of Science; and 3 Nobel Laureates, among other awards and distinctions.
“Congratulations to the 148 new members of the NAI Fellows program,” said Linda Hosler, Deputy Program Manager at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). “I had the honor of serving on the Fellows Selection Committee, and I am confident that this new class of Fellows will play a vital role in furthering the NAI’s mission and shining a light on the indispensable scientific and economic contributions of the world’s inventors.”
On Apr. 11, 2019, the 2018 NAI Fellows will be inducted as part of the Eighth NAI Annual Meeting in Houston, TX. Andrew Hirshfeld, USPTO Commissioner for Patents, will deliver the keynote address for the induction ceremony. In honor of their outstanding accomplishments, Fellows will receive a special trophy, medal and rosette pin.
“The National Academy of Inventors has elected an exceptional group of diverse inventors who have made an incredible impact on the innovation sphere on a global scale,” said Hirshfeld. “It was my distinct privilege to serve on the NAI Fellows Selection Committee and I look forward to celebrating with the NAI and the newly elected Fellows in April at the Space Center Houston.”
Those elected to the rank of NAI Fellow undergo a rigorous nomination and selection process. Once nominated by their peers, the 2018 class of NAI Fellows was evaluated by the 18 members of the 2018 Selection Committee, which encompassed NAI Fellows; U.S. National Medal recipients; AAAS-Lemelson Invention Ambassadors; senior officials from the USPTO, AUTM and the Smithsonian Lemelson Center; National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees and board members; and members of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine.
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