Since 2012, 15 UD inventors have been named to the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), the highest recognition in the country for inventorship.

Materials scientist and engineer Darrin Pochan, Distinguished Professor of Materials Science, is UD’s newest NAI fellow, inducted earlier this year for his work designing molecules that “self-assemble” into unique structures with remarkable properties. Hydrogels that Pochan co-developed and patented at UD with former professor Joel Schneider today are licensed by Gel4Med, a Harvard-based biomaterials engineering company. The UD-developed hydrogels are used in two wound management products, with U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, that are now being piloted in U.S. health care settings.

When discoveries like this move out of the lab and into society, they shape the economy and inspire other trailblazers. 

“Events like this remind us why it is important to invest in education, in research and in innovation,” said Gov. Matt Meyer in recorded remarks. “Congratulations to today’s honorees. Delaware is so proud of you. Keep dreaming big, keep experimenting, keep building and know that your state stands behind you.”

Fostering innovation and entrepreneurship are key to growth, according to keynote speaker Kenneth Blank, fellow and board member of the National Academy of Inventors. A nationally recognized leader, Blank has held several senior leadership positions at R1 research institutions in our region. He knows a thing or two about building high-impact, sustainable research programs that drive technology development and commercialization to solve critical challenges. 

Blank acknowledged that it is important that we produce new inventions that do everything from heal the sick to help people with their finances. Equally important, though, are the startup companies that grow out of innovation and the licensing of inventions to larger companies to bring technology to the world. 

“Job creation and local economic development are important processes that begin with the invention process,” Blank continued. For instance, among NAI’s 2,068 fellows there are approximately 81,000 issued patents and 25,000 licensed technologies, which have led to 1.2 million jobs and $3.2 trillion in revenue derived from licenses. 

“You can see the economic value of inventorship,” from these statistics, Blank said.

UD is one of 50 NAI member institutions with a chapter membership, meant to foster the next generation of inventors, including graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and faculty who aren’t yet inventors. Blank encouraged students involved in the chapter to get involved in NAI, participate in showcases and demonstrate their work at the national meetings.

Strengthening UD’s innovation infrastructure and culture

Attendees also had the opportunity to interact with campus researchers like Charikleia Angelidou, a doctoral student in Panos Artemiadis’ lab, who is developing intelligent controllers for ankle-foot prosthetics. The idea is to provide adaptive support that can automatically stiffen up the ankle joint in advance of moving from firm to softer terrain, something the body does naturally that a prosthetic ankle-foot device can’t quite replicate — yet.

“What we’re trying to do is predict future intent based off signals from a person’s lower-limb muscles … to provide extra support that restores a more natural walking pattern for people with amputation,” said Angelidou, adding that invention is “a very exciting part of research.”

UD’s Office of Economic Innovation and Partnerships (OEIP), led by Julius Korley, is the unit responsible for managing such intellectual property at UD. OEIP’s Technology Transfer and Small Business Development teams help move UD innovation from the lab to the marketplace. With OEIP’s help, over 200+ U.S. patents have been issued to UD researchers since 2009. Since 2013, 44% of patents issued to UD have included women inventors.

These activities are complemented by the efforts of Tracy Shickel, associate vice president for corporate engagement, and her team, who are connecting UD researchers with industry partners that can help bring UD-developed ideas to scale. Along with Horn Entrepreneurship, these efforts are helping to expand UD’s translational research capabilities.

A growing contingent of Innovation Ambassadors on campus

An inaugural member of the National Science Foundation’s Accelerating Research Translation program (NSF ART), the University also is investing in more infrastructure for translating research into practice. One example of this innovative spirit is a group of faculty research champions known as UD Innovation Ambassadors. 

Innovation ambassadors serve as mentors and connectors, sharing their experience with others to foster a vibrant culture of innovation at UD. UD’s first Innovation Ambassadors, named in May 2025, include Harsh Bais, Jason Gleghorn and Catherine Fromen.

As part of the event, Garcia-Diaz was joined by Jill Higginson, lead PI for the NSF ART program, and Amy Slocum, director of the Delaware Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), to announce five additional Innovation Ambassadors, who have committed to championing research translation and innovation across campus:

• Sagar Doshi, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and associate scientist at the Center for Composite Materials, is translating biomechanics research into practical tools that improve rehabilitation and mobility for patients.

• Christopher Martens, associate professor of kinesiology and applied physiology and director of the Delaware Center for Cognitive Aging Research, is leading translational studies aimed at delaying cognitive decline through lifestyle and pharmacological interventions.

• Matthew Mauriello, assistant professor of computer and information sciences and director of the Sensify Lab, is merging human-computer interaction and digital health to design technologies that improve learning, therapy and well-being — including AI-driven music interventions for children with autism.

• Daniel Stevens, interim director and professor of music theory in UD’s School of Music, is connecting music, technology and health to develop interactive tools that personalize music experiences for learners, especially children with autism. 

• Zhihao Zhuang, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, is exploring how proteins function and interact in cells to inform new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, research with the potential to advance cancer treatments, improve detection of neurodegenerative diseases and accelerate biomedical innovation.

These new Innovation Ambassadors each will receive a $3,000 grant to support their research, thanks to a partnership between NSF ART and the Delaware EPSCoR. The Innovation Discovery Awards are made possible by EPSCoR’s E-CORE project to support research with the potential to transform impossible ideas into real solutions, for Delaware and beyond.