Two UMN College of Science and Engineering faculty to be inducted into the National Academy of Inventors

Papanikolopoulos and Priya are among only 169 inventors across the U.S. honored this year

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (12/11/2025) — The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) has announced the selection of two Fellows from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities College of Science and Engineering: Nikolaos Papanikolopoulos and Shashank Priya. 

NAI Fellowship is the highest professional distinction awarded solely to inventors. Together, the 2025 class holds more than 5,300 U.S. patents and includes recipients of the Nobel Prize, the National Medals of Science and Technology & Innovation, and members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, among others. This year’s 169 U.S. Fellows represent 127 universities, government agencies, and research institutions across 40 U.S. states. 

“The extraordinary accomplishments of Drs. Papanikolopoulos and Priya are exemplary of the strong commitment of our faculty to innovation that transcends disciplinary boundaries,” said Executive Vice President and Provost Gretchen Ritter. “Through research, collaboration and leadership, their work continues to break ground on the frontiers of technology innovation.” 

Nikolaos Papanikolopoulos is the McKnight Presidential Endowed Professor and a Distinguished McKnight University Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. He is a scholar and inventor who is making significant contributions to the fields of robotics, computer vision, and intelligent transportation systems . Papanikolopoulos is the Director of the Minnesota Robotics Institute and author or co-author of more than 400 papers and holds nine patents. He founded the company ReconRobotics Inc. with several of his students in the early 2000s, which translated into the production of the UMN Scout robot (based on three of his patents). More than 6,000 Scout robots have been deployed by military and police to increase the distance between humans and harm’s way.

Papanikolopoulos has received numerous awards that include the 2022 UMN Award for Outstanding Contributions to Graduate and Professional Education, the 2016 IEEE RAS George Saridis Leadership Award in Robotics and Automation, the 2016 CTS Research Partnership Award, the 2011 IEEE RAS Distinguished Service Award, and the IEEE VTS 2001 Best Land Transportation Paper Award (with Osama Masoud). He is an IEEE Fellow. 

Shashank Priya, a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, is the founding executive director of the University of Minnesota’s National Security Research Institute. He previously served as the University’s vice president for research and innovation, where he led a research enterprise exceeding $1 billion across all campuses and facilities and helped drive record growth in sponsored awards, research expenditures, and startup formation. An internationally recognized authority in materials engineering, bio-inspired systems, and energy harvesting, Priya has established himself as a visionary inventor, innovation strategist, and ecosystem builder whose work continues to shape both scientific progress and societal well-being. 

He has published more than 500 peer-reviewed journal articles and holds 10 issued U.S. patents encompassing breakthrough advancements in piezoelectric materials, energy harvesting, magnetoelectrics, perovskite photovoltaics, and thermoelectrics. Many of these innovations—such as textured piezoelectrics—have been successfully transitioned to industry, while others, including flexible photovoltaics, have catalyzed the development of emerging products and technologies. Priya’s pioneering inventions—ranging from high-power thermoelectrics that convert heat into electricity, to textured piezoceramics enabling underwater communication and mechanical-to-electrical energy conversion, to hybrid perovskites for next-generation solar cells and sensors, and multimodal vibration harvesters capable of capturing energy from diverse environmental sources—highlight his unique ability to marry scientific rigor with a bold, translational vision. 

Priya also founded and directed the NSF I/UCRC Center for Energy Harvesting Materials and Systems, a foundational platform for industry–university collaboration aimed at accelerating energy materials into real-world applications. In addition, Priya founded and chaired the Energy Harvesting Workshop for multiple years, creating a global forum that has enabled the international research community to engage, collaborate, and advance the frontiers of energy generation and storage. Priya is a fellow of the American Ceramic Society.

The 2025 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 15th Annual Conference on June 4, 2026, in Los Angeles, Calif. The cohort includes 169 U.S. distinguished academic and institutional inventors and 16 International Fellows. Explore the full list of 2025 Fellows (PDF).