Saikat Guha Named to National Academy of Inventors
The National Academy of Inventors has named five University of Arizona faculty members as Class of 2024 Senior Members. To be selected as a Senior Member, academic inventors must demonstrate their rising leadership within their fields and show success in the patenting, licensing, and commercialization of innovations stemming from their work. According to the NAI, they must have produced “technologies that have brought, or aspire to bring, real impact on the welfare of society.”
This cohort of UArizona honorees have innovated in areas from Alzheimer’s disease to antimicrobials to advances in quantum communications, and hail from across the academic and research spectrum, including medicine, chemistry and biochemistry, agriculture, and optical sciences.
“Every year, more UArizona faculty are recognized with this honor,” said Doug Hockstad, associate vice president of Tech Launch Arizona (TLA), the office of the university that works with researchers to protect and commercialize inventions stemming from innovation. “The number and diversity of researchers honored is a clear indicator that not only are we a leader in cutting-edge research, but that we have a growing institutional focus on generating impact from and recognizing those discoveries and achievements.”
Elliot Cheu, Interim Senior Vice President of Research and Innovation said, “Congratulations to this year's inductees, who truly deserve this honor. Their induction not only highlights their contributions as individuals, but also underscores the university’s collective commitment to translating research and discovery into real-world solutions that benefit society.”
Among those selected was Saikat Guha, Professor of Optical Sciences and holder of the Nasser Peyghambarian Endowed Chair in Optical Sciences, as well as Director of the NSF Engineering Research Center for Quantum Networks.
As a leader in fields like quantum communications and networking, quantum imaging and sensing, and quantum information, Guha’s work is at the vanguard of applied science. As Director and PI of the NSF Engineering Research Center for Quantum Networks (CQN), he oversees a $51 million, 10-year project that aims to develop the technology stack for the quantum internet of tomorrow. He founded the university’s Arizona Quantum Initiative, working to bring quality education, advanced research, productive partnerships, and the world’s top talent to bear on the development of this industry in the state.
Guha is an inventor on 17 patents in the quantum technology field, and he has influenced the development of other intellectual property among his colleagues. His research on quantum-limited super-resolution imaging has led to the launch of the startup SensorQ Technologies, Inc., which is working to apply these technologies to bioimaging, astronomical imaging, and space domain awareness. He also advised the team that launched Quantum Network Technologies (QuNett), a company founded to commercialize space-based quantum communications technologies developed at the CQN.
This year’s class of NAI Senior Members is the largest to date and hails from 60 NAI Member Institutions across the nation. Collectively, they are named inventors on over 1000 U.S. patents with 344 of those being licensed technologies and commercialized products. The 2024 class also showcases the shared commitment to celebrating the diversity of the academic ecosystem, with 50% of this year’s Senior Members being outstanding female and/or underrepresented academic inventors.
“This year’s class of Senior Members is truly a testament to the outstanding innovation happening at NAI Member Institutions and what happens when the academic space encourages and celebrates invention and commercialization,” said Paul R. Sanberg, President of NAI. “We are proud to welcome these outstanding academic inventors to the Academy and look forward to supporting and celebrating them as they continue in their innovation journeys.”
The 2024 class of Senior Members will be celebrated at NAI’s Annual Conference taking place June 16-18th, 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Above is an excerpt from the Tech Launch Arizona article found here.