SEAS Professor to Be Inducted in National Academy of Inventors

Mona Zaghloul, a GW professor who specializes in nanotechnologies, was nominated by her peers for outstanding contributions to innovation.

December 15, 2017

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Mona Zaghloul, a School of Engineering and Applied Science professor, is set to be inducted into the National Academy of Inventors next spring. (William Atkins/ GW Today)

School of Engineering and Applied Science Professor Mona Zaghloul is set to be inducted into the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) next spring, a prestigious distinction for leaders in academic innovation.

Dr. Zaghloul is one of 155 academic inventors to be added to the NAI as a 2017 fellow. Those elected to the rank of NAI fellow are named inventors on U.S. patents and were nominated by their peers for outstanding contributions to innovation in areas such as patents and licensing, innovative discovery and technology, significant impact on society and support and enhancement of innovation, according to the NAI.

It is an honor to be recognized by the NAI, Dr. Zaghloul said.

“I’m very happy to be recognized as an NAI Fellow, and I appreciate the work and contributions of my GW students and the support we’ve received over the years,” she said. “My students and I have worked at the edge of technology, and we’ve advanced several new research directions that have been used by many in our field.”

Dr. Zaghloul is the  director of GW’s Institute of MEMS and VLSI Technologies. Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology offers the opportunity to produce mechanical, electromechanical and electrochemical devices with the same unprecedented levels of miniaturization and functionality as modern very large scale integrated (VLSI) microchips commonly used today, according to the institute’s website.

Dr. Zaghloul conducts research in digital and analog design of VLSI circuits, VLSI systems applications and the design and implementation of sensors using micro and nano technology. Two examples of the devices on which she and her team work are chemical gas sensors and biosensors. She has published more than 300 technical papers that contribute to the field.

“SEAS is proud of Dr. Zaghloul and her achievements as a researcher and inventor,” said David Dolling, dean of SEAS.  “We’re happy to see her contributions and successes recognized, and we’re thrilled that so many SEAS students have developed as researchers in their own right under her good guidance and example.”

Dr. Zaghloul will be inducted into the NAI on April 5 as part of the seventh annual NAI conference at Washington, D.C.’s Mayflower Hotel. Fellows will be presented with a special trophy, medal and rosette pin.

The 2017 class of NAI fellows was evaluated by the 2017 Selection Committee, comprising 18 members including NAI fellows, U.S. National Medals recipients, National Inventors Hall of Fame inductees, members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and senior officials from the USPTO, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Association of American Universities, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, Association of University Technology Managers, and National Inventors Hall of Fame, among other organizations.