About
The National Academy of Inventors honors the most accomplished inventors and patent holders from across the country, focusing on academic institutions and governmental and nonprofit research institutes.
UAB has 10 NAI Fellows, two NAI Senior Members, and a new NAI campus chapter.
UAB’s NAI Fellows
The NAI Fellows Program was established to highlight academic inventors who have demonstrated a 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. Election to NAI Fellow status is the highest professional distinction accorded solely to academic inventors. These are UAB’s NAI Fellows.
Michael Niederweis, 2024
Cynthia Owsley, 2024
Gattadahalli Anantharamaiah, 2019
Robert Kimberly, 2018
Donald Buchsbaum, 2016
Sergey Mirov, 2014
David Briles, 2013
Lawrence DeLucas, 2013
Richard Marchase, 2012
Dean Sicking, 2012
UAB's NAI Senior Members
NAI Senior Members are active faculty, scientists, and administrators from NAI Member Institutions who have demonstrated remarkable innovation producing technologies that have brought, or aspire to bring, real impact on the welfare of society. They also have growing success in patents, licensing, and commercialization, while educating and mentoring the next generation of inventors. These are UAB's NAI Senior Members.
Moon Nahm, 2023
Michael Niederweis, 2023
UAB Chapter of the NAI
The HIIE established UAB’s campus NAI chapter in 2022 to honor distinguished campus innovators who hold U.S. patents. The inaugural class, inducted Oct. 21, 2022, included 17 inventors from across academic disciplines.
Class of 2024
Charles Elson, M.D.
Ho-Wook Jun, Ph.D.
C. Vivek Lal, M.D.
Joanne Murphy-Ullrich, Ph.D.
Ashita Tolwani, M.D.
Anath Shalev, M.D.
Sadanandan Velu, Ph.D.
Class of 2023
Anupam Agarwal, M.D.
Charles Amsler, Ph.D.
Peter Anderson, DVM, Ph.D.
David Bedwell, Ph.D.
Kim Keeling, Ph.D.
James McClintock, Ph.D.
Tim Townes, Ph.D.
Class of 2022
Gattadahalli Anantharamaiah, Ph.D.
Venkatram Atigadda, Ph.D.
David Briles, Ph.D.
Vladimir Fedorov, Ph.D.
William Ferniany, Ph.D.
G. Yancey Gillespie, Ph.D.
James Johnston, M.D.
John Kappes, Ph.D.
Richard Marchase, Ph.D.
Sergey Mirov, Ph.D.
Moon Nahm, M.D.
Haibin Ning, Ph.D.
Jan Novak, Ph.D.
Cynthia Owsley, Ph.D.
Selvum “Brian” Pillay, Ph.D.
Dean Sicking, Ph.D.
Gary Warner
See an interactive timeline of our history.
Interested in getting the full story? Visit our HIIE History page.
The UAB Research Foundation (UABRF) was founded in 1987 as a nonprofit corporation to identify, assess and market commercially viable technology developed across the university.
In 2013, the UABRF became part of the UAB Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The next year, Kathy Nugent, Ph.D. became the Executive Director.
In 2015, the Institute was rebranded as the Bill L. Harbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (HIIE) after a naming gift from the Joy and Bill Harbert Foundation.
The HIIE successfully led UAB’s 2018 effort to attain the designation of Innovation and Economic Prosperity University (IEP) from the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities. IEP designated institutions have demonstrated a substantial and sustainable commitment to university economic engagement. UAB is one of approximately 70 designees in the country and one of only two in Alabama.
Also in 2018, the HIIE moved into the new Collat School of Business on UAB’s campus.
Our institute boasts eight National Academy of Inventors (NAI) Fellows, including:
- Gattadahalli Anantharamaiah, 2019
- Robert Kimberly, 2018
- Donald Buchsbaum, 2016
- Sergey Mirov, 2014
- Lawrence DeLucas & David Briles, 2013
- Richard Marchase & Dean Sicking, 2012
The NAI is a member organization comprising U.S. and international universities, and a governmental and nonprofit research institute, with more than 4,000 individual inventor members and Fellows spanning more than 250 institutions worldwide. In 2022, the HIIE led the inception of an NAI chapter on UAB’s campus.
The Joy and Bill Harbert Foundation
The Joy and Bill Harbert Foundation was created in 1997 to promote philanthropy and volunteerism in the Birmingham community through philanthropic giving. In memory of the late Mr. and Mrs. Harbert, the Foundation made an endowment to help fund construction of the Collat School of Business building while also partnering with UAB to establish the Bill L. Harbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Innovate Fellows are graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who help the Harbert Institute team manage the newest inventions on campus while also exploring careers within technology transfer. Fellows are tasked with performing market, prior art, prior art and patent analyses to assess the commercial merit of new inventions. Their research also identifies competition and potential industry partners. With the large volume of invention disclosures received by the office each year, the Innovate Fellows are a key component to our workflow and allow the office to make quick, informed decisions. To learn more about the Innovate Fellows program, email Innovate Fellows Program Director Nadia Cantu-Medellin at
The next Innovate Fellows application cycle will open in late summer 2025.
Current Fellows
Past Fellows
Contact Us
Phone: (205) 934-2838 or (205) 934-9911
Fax: (205) 934-5427
Addresses
Delivery & Visit:
710 13th Street South
Suite 120, Collat School of Business
Birmingham, AL 35233
Mailing:
1720 2nd Avenue South
CSB 120
Birmingham, AL 35294
Directions & Parking
Pull into the Collat Business School parking lot (Lot #26) and drive straight ahead into the visitors’ lot.
There are two parking spaces designated “HIIE.” Park in one of those spaces, then come inside for a decal to display in your car for the duration of your stay.