Environmental Engineer Research Scientist Project Manager for Regolith & Environment Science and Oxygen Lunar Volatiles Extraction (RESOLVE) NASA Kennedy Space Center
12 U.S. patents
Jacqueline Quinn is a NASA environmental engineer who leads diverse environmental chemistry research at the Kennedy Space Center and invented NASA’s most licensed and recognized technology for groundwater remediation, Emulsified Zero Valent Iron (EZVI). Additional environmental remediation methods created by Quinn include AMTS and SPEARS, used for removal of cancer-causing PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) in materials, soils and sediments.
Quinn holds 12 U.S. patents and her technologies have been licensed by companies throughout the United States and internationally. In 2005, she received both NASA’s Commercial and Government Invention of the Year awards. Quinn received the Federal Lab Consortium’s Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer in 2006 and was inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2018 she was elected to the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
University Distinguished Professor of Optics and photonics, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Physics University of Central Florida
6 U.S. patents
From 1998 until 2016, M.J. Soileau led the University of Central Florida’s (UCF) sponsored research activities. He is known for his pioneering research in nonlinear interaction of laser pulses with optical materials and for leading the development of the internationally recognized Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL) at UCF.
Soileau holds 6 U.S. patents, the applications of which have contributed to the advancement of high energy laser optics used by the United States Department of Defense. His expertise is sought by high technology corporations in the areas of photonics and lasers, and by legal firms in the area of patents. His leadership has helped UCF become a catalyst for the region’s high-tech development, stimulating the local economy in central Florida.
Founder and President, National Academy of Inventors Executive Director, Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair Distinguished University Professor University of South Florida
54 U.S. Patents
Neuroscientist Dr. Paul R. Sanberg’s work has been instrumental in understanding and developing new pharmaceutical and cellular therapeutics for stroke, Alzheimer’s, ALS, Huntington’s, Parkinson’s disease and Tourette syndrome. His research has involved discovering innovative ways to repair the damaged brain and has helped lead the team that demonstrated the use of umbilical cord blood-derived cells for neurological disease. He holds 163 U.S. and foreign patents.
Sanberg trained at York University, University of British Columbia, Australian National University and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and held faculty appointments at the University of Cincinnati and Brown University, among others, prior to joining the University of South Florida as a professor in 1992. He was a long time member of the Board of Scientific Counselors for the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health and has served on numerous scientific advisory boards for health-related foundations and companies. He has industry experience as a founder or director of a number of companies involved in cell therapy for degenerative disorders. He is the author of more than 680 articles and 14 books, with over 33,000 citations to his published work, has served on editorial boards for more than 30 scientific journals, and is editor-in-chief of Technology and Innovation: Journal of the National Academy of Inventors.
Sanberg is president and a Charter Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. He is the 2015 Medalist of the Florida Academy of Sciences; a Fulbright Specialist; fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and Royal Societies of Chemistry, Public Health and Medicine; and AAAS-Lemelson Invention Ambassador. He serves on the nomination evaluation committee of the U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation with the U.S. Department of Commerce, Smithsonian Innovation Festival selection committee, and advisory board of the APLU Commission on Innovation, Competitiveness, and Economic Prosperity.
M.S., Ph.D., MBA, FAAAAI, FNAI Distinguished Professor, USF Health University of South Florida Research Career Scientist James A. Haley VA Hospital
41 Patents
Dr. Mohapatra is recognized for his many inventions in the field of nanoscale biomedical diagnostics and therapeutics in cancers, asthma, viral infections, traumatic brain injury. His inventions led to several customized cell-targeted nanoparticles with diverse drug payloads and a nano-HIV detection kit. Mohapatra cofounded TransGenex Nanobiotech Inc (TGN), which specializes in manufacturing these nanoscale products. TGN is also commercializing products for 3D cancer cell culture technology and services for anti-cancer drug discovery and personalized cancer treatment (PCTx). TGN is establishing a Reference Lab for PCTx prescription in collaboration with Florida Medical Clinics. Mohapatra’s research has brought USF over $20 million in extramural funds and includes inventions that have spun out companies. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.
Pegasus Professor of Optics in CREOL The College of Optics and Photonics University of Central Florida
93 Patents
Dr. Wu’s contributions to liquid crystal research and the resulting patent portfolio for next-generation liquid crystal displays, adaptive optics, laser beam steering, biophotonics, and new photonic materials, have had a major impact on display technology worldwide. His most significant development to date is the mixed-mode twisted nematic LC cell, which is an integral part of high-resolution, high-contrast reflective and transflective LCDs, including direct-view, projection and wearable displays. Wu’s technologies have enabled new types of optical beam control devices and have impacted many who have ever used an LCD product, such as a smart phone, computer screen and television. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.
