News Release

UC San Diego Engineering Dean Albert P. Pisano inducted into National Academy of Inventors

Albert P. Pisano, professor and dean of the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering.

San Diego, Calif., December 5, 2019 -- Albert P. Pisano, professor and dean of the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, has been named a 2019 fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). Each NAI fellow has demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation and has contributed to improved quality of life, economic development and welfare of society around the globe.

UC San Diego bioengineering faculty affiliate Paul Citron and electrical engineering alumna Mihri Ozkan (Ph.D. ECE ‘01) are also among the 168 new fellows inducted into National Academy of Inventors (NAI) Fellows in 2019.

“When I’m in the thick of the day-to-day activities of the Jacobs School of Engineering, I find it useful to step back and recognize what a privilege it is to be deeply involved with an institution dedicated to not only education and research, but also invention. In many different ways at the Jacobs School of Engineering, and across all of UC San Diego, we are working to ensure that the knowledge created here makes it out into society where it can do good,” said Pisano.

“Over the years, I’ve been involved in a series of efforts to bring inventions derived from my own research out into the world. I’ve experienced firsthand the great value and excitement that comes from immersing oneself in both fundamental research and applied research.

“There is a virtuous research cycle in which fundamental research leads to insights that are relevant for industry. By pursuing some of these more applied research projects, you discover even deeper fundamental research questions. Invention often springs from this interplay between fundamental and applied research,” said Pisano.

With the election of the 2019 class, there are now 1,228 NAI Fellows worldwide, representing more than 250 prestigious universities and governmental and non-profit research institutes. Collectively, the Fellows hold more than 41,500 issued U.S. patents, which have generated over 11,000 licensed technologies and companies, and created more than 36 million jobs. In addition, over $1.6 trillion in revenue has been generated based on NAI Fellow discoveries.

Albert P. Pisano is dean of the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, where he is a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Pisano is a highly accomplished mechanical engineer who, in 2001, was elected to the National Academy of Engineering for contributions to the design, fabrication, commercialization, and educational aspects of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). A self-described technology polymath, Pisano’s research is driven by his passion for developing, mastering and advancing technologies in order to solve problems.

Paul Citron

Paul Citron is a Faculty Affiliate of the Department of Bioengineering at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering. Citron was vice president of Technology Policy and Academic Relations at Medtronic, Inc. when he retired in 2003 after 32 years at the company. His previous position was Vice President of Science and Technology. He was given Medtronic’s “Invention of Distinction” award for his role as co-inventor of the tined pacing lead.

Mihri Ozkan

Mihri Ozkan is a professor of electrical and computer engineering at UC Riverside and an alumna of the electrical and computer engineering doctoral program at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering (Ph.D. ECE ‘01). Ozkan is dedicated to developing green technologies and is an activist fighting climate change. Her research explores new materials for improved, low cost, and environmentally friendly energy storage and performance that can also be produced at industrial scale. Learn more here. At the Jacobs School, she worked with Professor Sadik Esener from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering,  and Professor Sangeeta Bhatia (now at MIT) from the Department of Bioengineering.

“I am so impressed by the caliber of this year’s class of NAI Fellows, all of whom are highly-regarded in their respective fields,” said Paul R. Sanberg, President of the National Academy of Innovation. “The breadth and scope of their discoveries are truly staggering. I’m excited not only see their work continue, but also to see their knowledge influence a whole new era of science, technology, and innovation worldwide.”

Do you know of other 2019 NAI Fellows with affiliations to the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering? Let us know.

Media Contacts

Daniel Kane
Jacobs School of Engineering
858-534-3262
dbkane@ucsd.edu