Top minds choose , whether as faculty, staff or student. Those daring teams and individuals whose mission it is to excel in their innovative initiatives can do so with confidence due to 's focus on progress.
The NAI Fellows Program highlights academic inventors who have demonstrated a 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.
Featured below are four National Academy of Inventor Fellows who have made major strides in their respective fields.
C.J Zhong
NAI FELLOW 2019
19 PATENTS
Chuan-Jian “CJ” Zhong, professor of chemistry and of materials science and engineering, was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the highest professional distinction for academic inventors.
Zhong is a leading scientist in developing advanced nanomaterials, sensors and catalysts for energy, environment and healthcare sustainability.
Nominated by Vice President for Research Bahgat Sammakia, Zhong is one of 136 academics elected this year. He holds 19 U.S. patents and two international patents.
Jessica Fridrich '95
NAI FELLOW 2018
9 PATENTS
Distinguished Professor Jessica Fridrich, PhD ’95, of ’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, was elected as a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors based on her work in data embedding for security, covert communications, steganalysis and digital multimedia forensics.
One of Fridrich’s many patents is for an identification method that allows researchers to detect a camera’s unique fingerprint from the image itself. The technology was featured in the 2009 film "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt."
Kanad Ghose
NAI FELLOW 2016
29 PATENTS
Computer science Professor Kanad Ghose has been named a 2016 Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.
During his career, Ghose has researched high-performance computing and computer architecture. His most recent patents are on power management and security. The work has resulted in several breakthrough designs in processor architecture, power-aware systems and high-performance computing infrastructures, setting the stage for better and faster computing power and function.
Bahgat Sammakia
NAI FELLOW 2015
26 PATENTS
Bahgat Sammakia is a Distinguished SUNY Professor and vice president for research at . Sammakia has spent much of his research career working to improve thermal management strategies in electronic systems at multiple scales. He holds 24 patents and is also a fellow of IEEE and ASME.