Engineer Named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors

National Academy of InventorsProfessor H. Kumar Wickramasinghe is among 143 innovators to be named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) for 2013. Wickramasinghe is a UC Irvine professor and the Henry Samueli Endowed Chair in electrical engineering and computer science, with joint appointments in biomedical engineering and chemical engineering and materials science.

Being named a NAI Fellow is distinction accorded to academic inventors who have demonstrated a highly prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society.H. Kumar Wickramasinghe

Wickramasinghe, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, is a well-respected pioneer in nanotechnology. He currently holds 94 patents. Some of his most significant inventions and contributions to the nano field include the development of the vibrating mode atomic force microscope (AFM), the magnetic force microscope, the electrostatic force microscope, the Kelvin probe force microscope, the scanning thermal microscope, and the apertureless near-field optical microscope. Most of these scanning probe microscopes are standard instruments used today for nano-scale characterization.

"I am humbled and honored to be among this distinguished group of Nobel Laureates and National Medal Prize winners,” says Wickramasinghe. “The greatest thrill I get is to see some of my inventions translated to practice and in use all over the world."

"The 2013 NAI Fellows and their creative accomplishments showcase the continued excellence of academic innovation and invention," said NAI President Paul R. Sanberg.  "Their work has brought great benefit to the world and we are proud to honor them as Fellows."

Wickramasinghe is among 10 University of California professors being named; he is the only one from UCI. The new fellows will be inducted during the Annual Conference of the National Academy of Inventors on March 7 at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office headquarters in Alexandria, Va.