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Awards and Honors

Rabiei named NAI senior member

Afsaneh Rabiei checks on metallic foam created in her lab.
Afsaneh Rabiei checks on metallic foam created in her lab.

By Jack Boden
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

A professor at NC State University’s Department of mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department has been named a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors. 

Afsaneh Rabiei
Afsaneh Rabiei

Dr. Afsaneh Rabiei is among 95 of the world’s foremost emerging academic inventors to earn the prestigious distinction, which seek to recognize inventors who have made real and significant contributions to their communities and the rest of the world. 

According to the NAI website, Senior Members are active employees, faculty, scientists and administrators with success in patents, licensing and commercialization who have produced technologies that brought or have the potential to bring real impact on the welfare of society.

The NAI established the Seniors Members program in 2018 to recognize the rising young stars of the Academy’s Member Institutions, and currently recognizes just 334 senior members internationally. This recognition is intended to provide some of the world’s greatest inventors with a pathway to greater success and NAI Fellowship. 

“I’m delighted to see how this program has expanded in just a couple of years’ time,” NAI President Paul R. Sanberg said in the announcement of the 2023 class of NAI Senior Members. “It really reflects the shift we are seeing at universities and the general academic space where invention is not only being awarded, but prioritized as well.”

Dr. Rabiei, a 23-year veteran of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, heads the Advanced Materials Research Laboratory (AMRL) and much of her research focuses the processing and characterization of advanced materials, metal foams, coatings and composites.

“We cover materials’ manufacturing, characterization and failure analysis from nano-scale to micro and macro scales to address the needs of biomedical, mechanical, aerospace and nuclear engineering,” the lab website states. 

The ability to nominate an individual for NAI Senior Member recognition is an exclusive opportunity afforded to NAI Member Institutions to recognize their outstanding innovators and foster an inclusive culture of innovation and invention on their campuses. Each of these member organizations are widely regarded as innovation powerhouses that continuously promote and foster the spirit of innovation.

The 2023 class of Senior Members will be celebrated at NAI’s Annual Meeting, “Diversifying Innovation for a Strong Economy and a Sustainable Future,” which will take place June 25-27, 2023 in Washington, D.C.

This post was originally published in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.