Espinosa, Sargent Named to National Academy of Inventors

Northwestern Engineering’s Horacio Espinosa and Ted Sargent have been named 2024 fellows of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). 

NAI fellow status is the highest professional distinction awarded solely to academic inventors. The program recognizes academic inventors who have demonstrated a “spirit of innovation” by creating or facilitating inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and social welfare.

Espinosa and Sargent are among 170 new fellows in the 2024 class, which represents 135 research universities and governmental and nonprofit research institutions worldwide. The 2024 class collectively holds more than 5,000 issued US patents.

The 2024 class of fellows will be honored and presented their medals by a representative of the United States Patent and Trademark Office at the NAI 14th Annual Meeting from June 23-26, 2025, in Atlanta.

Horacio Espinosa

Espinosa is the James N. and Nancy J. Farley Professor in Manufacturing and Entrepreneurship and a professor of mechanical engineering at the McCormick School of Engineering. He directs Northwestern Engineering’s Theoretical and Applied Mechanics program as well as Northwestern’s Institute for Cellular Engineering Technologies. 

Espinosa’s Micro and Nano Mechanics Laboratory focuses broadly on two research goals: understanding the behavior of materials across scales, from nano to macro, and developing novel engineered devices for both materials research and biological applications.

"I am deeply honored and humbled to be named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. This recognition reflects the dedication and creativity of the exceptional students, collaborators, and colleagues I have had the privilege to work with at Northwestern University and beyond,” Espinosa said. “My work has always been driven by a passion for translating fundamental research into impactful innovations, from advancing the mechanics of materials to designing microtechnologies that improve human health and sustainability. I hope these efforts continue to inspire solutions to critical societal challenges and create a lasting positive impact."

An author of more than 350 academic papers, Espinosa serves as co-editor of the Wiley Book Series in Micro and Nanotechnologies and serves on the editorial board of several journals. The holder of 15 patents, Espinosa is the founder and president of iNfinitesimal LLC, a nanotechnology company that develops systems for efficient and precise delivery of molecules into cells. The company was founded to commercialize bio-tools for cell access and analysis and holds an exclusive global license from Northwestern for intellectual property and technology developed in Espinosa's lab.

Ted Sargent

Sargent is the Lynn Hopton Davis and Greg Davis Professor of Chemistry at the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the McCormick School of Engineering. He also directs the Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy.

Sargent and his research group advance and deploy materials chemistry and the physical chemistry of materials and surfaces toward three missions: capturing and utilizing carbon dioxide to make efficient carbon dioxide-recycling fuels and carbon dioxide-sequestering materials; advancing the performance and the underlying science of high-efficiency solar cells, including perovskite tandem solar cells; and developing sensors, such as for the infrared wavelengths, that exceed in performance that of existing photodetecting materials and devices.

“It’s a true privilege to be recognized by the NAI,” Sargent said. “It’s a tribute to the remarkable energy, creativity, and profound scientific expertise of a cadre of outstanding PhD students and post-doctoral fellows with whom I’ve had the pleasure of working over these last 2 1/2 decades.”

A prolific author of academic papers, Sargent’s publications have been cited more than 160,000 times, and his book The Dance of Molecules: How Nanotechnology is Changing Our Lives (Penguin, 2005) has been translated into French, Spanish, Italian, Korean, and Arabic. The holder of 118 patents, Sargent was founder and chief technical officer of InVisage Technologies, a fabless semiconductor company making quantum dot-based image sensors.