Michigan Engineering News

Portrait of Lola Eniola-Adefeso

Lola Eniola-Adefeso named National Academy of Inventors Senior Member

NAI Senior Members are rising stars who foster a spirit of innovation while educating and mentoring the next generation of inventors.

Associate Dean for Graduate and Professional Education (ADGPE), Lola Eniola-Adefeso was today announced as a National Academy of Inventors (NAI) Senior Member, along with a distinguished new class

NAI Senior Members are rising stars who foster a spirit of innovation within their communities and institutions while educating and mentoring the next generation of inventors. They include active faculty, scientists and administrators who have demonstrated success in patents, licensing and commercialization. Senior Members have also produced technologies that have brought or aim to bring, real impact on the welfare of society. 

“The most exciting part of academic biomedical research is in moving ideas from bench to bed site. Thus, our technology transfer activity in the last year has been very meaningful to the team. We are deeply honored that NAI recognizes our translational work in this way.”

Lola Eniola-Adefeso
Associate Dean for Graduate and Professional Education and Professor of Chemical Engineering

“The most exciting part of academic biomedical research is in moving ideas from bench to bed site,” Eniola-Adefeso said. “Thus, our technology transfer activity in the last year has been very meaningful to the team. We are deeply honored that NAI recognizes our translational work in this way.”

In addition to her ADGPE appointment, Eniola-Adefeso is a University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor, a professor of chemical engineering, biomedical engineering and macromolecular science and engineering. 

Research in her Cellular Adhesion and Drug Delivery Lab aims to apply knowledge of cellular inflammatory response and blood flow dynamics to design bio-functionalized particles for targeted drug delivery and imaging.

Eniola-Adefeso has also been recognized by the University of Michigan for her commitments to scholarly inquiry related to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, equitable education and mentoring, as well as impactful service and engagement.

She joins 430 NAI Senior Members from institutions all over the world in honor of her achievements and contributions to the innovation ecosystem at the University of Michigan. She will be inducted as a Senior Member during the 12th NAI Annual Meeting this spring in Washington, D.C. 

The mission of National Academy of Inventors is to recognize and encourage academic inventors with patents issued from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, enhance the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourage the disclosure of intellectual property, educate and mentor innovative students, and translate the inventions of its members to benefit society. 

The Senior Member Program allows the NAI to expand reach and further goals in recognizing the contributions of academic inventors around the globe.