Kelley elected to National Academy of Inventors

SQI member Shana Kelley has been named a 2023 fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).

NAI fellow status is the highest professional distinction awarded solely to academic inventors. The program recognizes academic inventors who have demonstrated a “spirit of innovation” by creating or facilitating inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and social welfare.

Kelley joins Northwestern University professors Dimitri Krainc and Hooman Mohseni among 162 new fellows in the 2023 class, which represents 118 research universities and governmental and nonprofit research institutions worldwide. The 2023 class collectively holds more than 4,600 issued U.S. patents.

Kelley is the Neena B. Schwartz Professor of Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering at Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and the McCormick School of Engineering, professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and president of the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Chicago.

The Kelley laboratories develop new bioanalytical technologies for measuring molecules and cells with high levels of sensitivity and precision. The work has resulted in the development of new diagnostic tools as well as therapeutic approaches.   

“I am incredibly honored to be recognized by the National Academy of Inventors and am very appreciative for the efforts of past and present team members who have contributed to our efforts,” Kelley said.

Kelley is the founder of four life sciences startups (GeneOhm Sciences, acquired by Becton Dickinson; Xagenic Inc., acquired by General Atomics; Arma Biosciences, founded in 2020; and CTRL Therapeutics, founded in 2022). She is an inventor on more than 50 patents. Kelley is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, a Guggenheim fellow and a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

The 2023 NAI class of fellows will be honored and presented their medals by a senior official of the United States Patent and Trademark Office at the NAI 13th Annual Meeting on June 18, 2024.

Note: This story uses excerpted text from an article originally published on Northwestern Now.