Six UT inventors earn highest professional distinction as NAI Fellows
Six faculty members from five University of Texas institutions were recently named National Academy of Inventors (NAI) Fellows, the highest professional distinction accorded to academic inventors. The 2020 Class of Fellows from UT institutions are:
- UT Arlington: David Hunn
- UT Austin: Lizy Kurian John and Van N. Truskett
- UT Dallas: Naofal Al-Dhahir
- UT Medical Branch: Jia Zhou
- UT San Antonio: Ravi Sandhu
With these additions, there are now 53 NAI Fellows at UT institutions, selected for creating or facilitating inventions that have significantly improved quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society.
Worldwide, the 2020 Class of Fellows includes 175 academic innovators from 115 research universities and research institutes. They join more than 1,200 Fellows across the globe who collectively hold more than 41,500 U.S. patents that have generated over 11,000 licensed technologies and companies and created more than 36 million jobs.
The newest class of Fellows will be inducted at the Tenth Annual Meeting of the National Academy of Inventors this June in Tampa, Florida.
About The University of Texas System
For more than 130 years, The University of Texas System has been committed to improving the lives of Texans and people all over the world through education, research and health care. With 14 institutions, an enrollment of nearly 240,000 students and an operating budget of $21.7 billion (FY 2021), the UT System is one of the largest public university systems in the United States. UT institutions produce more than 64,000 graduates annually and award more than one-third of the state’s undergraduate degrees and more than half of its health professional degrees. Collectively, UT-owned and affiliated hospitals and clinics accounted for more than 9.2 million outpatient visits and 1.8 million hospital days last year. UT institutions also are among the most innovative in the world, collectively ranking No. 3 for most U.S. patents granted in 2019, and the UT System is No. 1 in Texas and No. 2 in the nation in federal research expenditures. The UT System also is one of the largest employers in Texas, with more than 21,000 faculty – including Nobel laureates and members of the National Academies – and more than 85,000 health care professionals, researchers and support staff.
News Contact Information
Karen Adler: kadler@utsystem.edu • 512-499-4360 (direct) • 210-912-8055 (cell)
