Professor Steve Koester to be inducted into the National Academy of Inventors
Koester holds 80 patents in semiconductor technology and nanomaterial-based sensors
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (06/02/2025) — University of Minnesota Twin Cities College of Science and Engineering Professor Steve Koester has been named a National Academy of Inventors (NAI) Fellow and will be inducted into the NAI at the academy’s annual meeting June 23-25, 2025.
Koester is a Russell J. Penrose Professor in Nanotechnology in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The honor recognizes his exceptional achievements as an inventor and the selection committee appreciates that his contributions have made a significant impact on innovation, economic development and society’s welfare.
Koester’s election reflects his contributions and commitment to his field of expertise, nano-scaled electronic, photonic, spintronic and sensing devices based on emerging material systems. He holds 80 U.S. patents in semiconductor technology and nanomaterial-based sensors. His patents which span the areas of advanced MOSFET technology, heterogeneous integration in microelectronics and biosensing indicate the impact of his work.
Koester has served as director of the Minnesota Nano Center since 2021 and was named the first Chief Semiconductor Officer of the University of Minnesota in 2024.
Before joining the University of Minnesota faculty in 2010, he spent more than a dozen years as a research staff member at the IBM T. J. Watson Research Center. He has authored or co-authored over 300 technical publications and conference presentations, seven volumes, four book chapters, and holds 79 United States patents. He is a Fellow of the IEEE and Optica.
Koester has a bachelor’s and master’s in electrical engineering from the University of Notre Dame and holds a Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from the University of California.
Read more on the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering’s website.
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