As an educator, Martin has helped shape the next generation of materials scientists and biomedical engineers. In addition to mentoring students in his lab, Martin spearheaded the development of 4+1 bachelor’s degree and master’s degree opportunities in materials science and engineering, accelerated pathways to advanced degrees, and created new courses, such as a bioelectronic materials and device course aimed at equipping students with the knowledge and skills to thrive in rapidly evolving fields that impact human health and technology.

Martin is a fellow of the Materials Research Society, the American Chemical Society, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and the American Physical Society, among other professional organizations. He has authored hundreds of publications that have been cited thousands of times, and his work has been supported by leading agencies, including the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Army Research Office, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), among others.

Martin will be inducted to the 2025 Class of Fellows at the NAI 15th Annual Conference on June 1-4, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. He joins NAI's growing ranks of fellows, which collectively include 2,253 researchers and innovators, with approximately 86,000 U.S. patents and 20,000 licensed technologies. These innovations have generated an estimated $3.8 trillion in revenue and 1.4 million jobs.

Driving real-world change

As an R1 research powerhouse, UD has a growing history of innovation with global impact — the “Heck reaction,” a chemical synthesis developed by Richard Heck, led to wide-ranging advances in pharmaceuticals, genome sequencing and electronic display devices. Also, UD inventors John Elias and Wayne Westerman, founders of FingerWorks, pioneered multitouch technology—the foundation for the way we interact with smart devices today. Their innovations, acquired by Apple, helped spark the multitouch revolution that transformed smartphones, tablets and beyond.

Martin joins 15 UD inventors previously selected to NAI fellow status since 2012, including: 

• Darrin Pochan, Distinguished Professor of Materials Science (2024) 

• Joseph Fox, professor of chemistry and biochemistry (2023)

• Gonzalo Arce, Charles Black Evans Professor of Electrical Engineering (2022)

• Kelvin Lee, Gore Professor of Chemical Engineering and director of the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL)

• Thomas Epps, Allan and Myra Ferguson Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, with a joint appointment in Materials Science and Engineering (2021)

• Eleftherios “Terry” Papoutsakis, Unidel Eugene du Pont Chair of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (2020)

• Kristi Kiick, Blue and Gold Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering (2019)

• Yushan Yan, Henry Belin du Pont Chair of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and director of the Center for Clean Hydrogen at UD (2018)

• Dennis Prather, Engineering Alumni Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering (2017)

• The late Richard Heck, a Nobel laureate and Willis F. Harrington Professor Emeritus of Chemistry (2015)

• Norm Wagner, Unidel Robert L. Pigford Chair in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (2015)

• The late Babatunde Ogunnaike, William L. Friend Chair of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (2014)

• John Elias, professor of electrical and computer engineering (2013)

• Wayne Westerman, who earned a doctoral degree in electrical and computer engineering at UD (2013)

• Former UD President Patrick Harker (2012)