C.J. Zhong elected to National Academy of Inventors

Chuan-Jian “CJ” Zhong, professor of chemistry and of materials science and engineering, has been elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the highest professional distinction for academic inventors.

The NAI Fellows Selection Committee has chosen Zhong for induction as he has “demonstrated a highly prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on the quality of life, economic development and welfare of society.”

Nominated by Vice President for Research Bahgat Sammakia, Zhong is one of 136 academics elected this year who collectively hold more than 3,500 issued U.S. patents. He holds 19 U.S. patents and two international patents. He will be inducted at a ceremony in Phoenix, Ariz., in April 2020.

“This recognition will serve as an inspiration to motivate me — and my students — in innovation and technology commercialization,” Zhong said. “I am honored and humbled by this recognition, which reflects positively on my academic career and my research group’s accomplishments at Binghamton University.”

The National Academy of Inventors is a member organization comprising U.S. and international universities, and governmental and non-profit research institutes, with over 4,000 individual inventor members and 1,060 Fellows spanning more than 250 institutions worldwide. It exists to recognize and encourage 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 NAI Fellows Program highlights academic inventors who have demonstrated a 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.

Zhong is a leading scientist in developing advanced nanomaterials, sensors and catalysts for energy, environment and healthcare sustainability. He is a recipient of numerous other awards including the American Chemical Society (ACS) Binghamton Distinguished Research Award, Japan Society for Promotion of Science Fellow, SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities, SUNY Innovation-Creation-Discovery Award, 3M Faculty Research Award and a National Science Foundation CAREER Award.

Co-founder of two startup companies, Zhong has published 300 peer-reviewed articles including two books and 10 chapters, and serves on the editorial board for two peer-reviewed journals. He was selected to the Most Cited Researchers in Global Ranking by Elsevier and his current Google Scholar citations are 21,500 with an h-index of 77.

He serves on the board of the International Academy of Electrochemical Energy Science and is a member of the ACS and Materials Research Society.

Zhong becomes the fourth NAI Fellow at Binghamton University. Sammakia, a distinguished professor of mechanical engineering, was elected a Fellow in 2015, followed by Kanad Ghose, distinguished professor of computer science in 2016, and Jessica Fridrich, distinguished professor of electrical and computer engineering in 2018.

The complete list of fellows is listed on the NAI website.