With inventions in ubiquitous computing and pharmaceutical development, these Northeastern University researchers are pioneers
Two Northeastern University faculty members have been elected as fellows to the National Academy of Inventors, one of the highest recognitions in academia meant to honor the nation’s most impactful inventors.
Gregory Abowd, the dean of Northeastern University’s College of Engineering, and Mansoor Amiji, a distinguished professor in the Bouvé College of Health Sciences, were selected for the honor.
Established in 2010, the National Academy of Inventors is one of the largest and most prestigious organizations of its kind — it has affiliations with more than 300 institutions and is composed of more than 4,600 individual members.
Years before smart boards would become common in elementary and high schools or transcription services that summarize lectures would become a dime a dozen, Abowd pioneered one of the first classroom prototypes showcasing the technology in the mid-1990s.
Classroom 2000 — the suite of technology he helped develop for the educational sector — is one example of Abowd’s focus on human-computer interaction and ubiquitous computing, the study of integrating computing technologies into everyday life.
Throughout his career, he has emphasized the use of technology to increase accessibility and enhance communication.
His projects include work with the autism community to help clinicians develop diagnostic and management tools; a mobile application that allows blind people to type out braille on their phones; and contributions to the AWARE home, which used signaling technologies to collect data on a home’s electrical wiring system and other important information.
“It’s a great honor,” said Abowd of receiving the fellowship. “A lot of it is because I have been successful in working with innovative students who have wanted to see technology and their research go the next step, and I’ve had some very good partners outside of academia to work with.”
In his nomination letter, David Luzzie, Northeastern’s senior vice provost and vice president for business development, highlighted Abowd’s 21 U.S. patents and his founding of five technology companies, including one that was acquired by Belkin, the consumer electronics company.
“Gregory has a stellar record of invention, innovation and entrepreneurship that is perfectly aligned with the expectations of the Academy for those elected as Fellows,” Luzzi wrote in his nomination letter.
In his more than three decades at Northeastern, Amiji has played a leading role in the development of vaccine delivery systems and pharmaceutical technologies designed to treat cancers, neurodegenerative conditions, gastrointestinal diseases and more.
Through his lab at Northeastern, he has filed more than 25 patents and works closely with industry partners to bring his lab’s discoveries to clinical trials and beyond. Individually, he’s obtained more than 30 patents.
One recent project Amiji and his team worked on that is ready for clinical trials is an oil-droplet-based drug delivery system used to attack cancerous cells in the body. He’s also just recently developed treatments for brain cancer and neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
And he has plenty more, explained Harris, who in his nomination letter highlighted that Amiji has collaborated with more than 25 pharmaceutical companies on clinical trials throughout his decades-long career and has co-founded several biotechnology companies himself.
“Amiji is a rare gem; his skills and character make him a modern-day polymath cut in the mold of the great scientists who defined the natural sciences at the turn of the 1990s,” Harris wrote.
Amiji credited the many students, peers and industry partners he’s worked with over the years for the honor.
“This is not a solo act by any means,” he said. “I am truly grateful for all the people, especially postdocs and students in my lab. They are the ones who are the soldiers in the trenches.”
