(l-r) Jason Locklin, Kenan Song, and WenZhan Song
This year’s UGA inductees represent a record for the institution
The National Academy of Inventors has selected eight University of Georgia researchers – including three from the College of Engineering – as 2025 NAI Senior Members, surpassing its own record of five inductees set last year. UGA now has 24 Senior Members overall.
“We are thrilled to celebrate these latest UGA elections to the country’s leading organization for groundbreaking inventors and innovators,” said Chris King, interim vice president for research. “Their dedication to translating research into tangible impact embodies the university’s land-grant mission and our commitment to serving society through innovation.”
NAI Senior Members are distinguished faculty, scientists and administrators who have demonstrated success in patents, licensing and commercialization. They develop technologies that have made, or have the potential to make, meaningful impacts on society.
UGA’s 2025 inductees are:
- Patrick Conner, professor of horticulture, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
- Jason Locklin, professor and chemistry department head, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering; director, New Materials Institute
- Sergiy Minko, Georgia Power Professor of Fiber and Polymer Science, College of Family and Consumer Sciences; professor, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
- Suraj Sharma, professor, College of Family and Consumer Sciences
- Kenan Song, associate professor, College of Engineering
- WenZhan Song, Georgia Power Mickey A. Brown Professor, College of Engineering; director, Center for Cyber-Physical Systems
- Robert Woods, Distinguished Research Professor, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences; member, Complex Carbohydrate Research Center; fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry
- Jin Xie, professor and graduate coordinator, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Locklin’s innovative work in polymer science and materials engineering has led to the development of novel materials with practical applications in green engineering. He holds 17 issued U.S. patents and multiple international patents in the field of biomaterials and bioplastics. In 2017, he founded the New Materials Institute at UGA, which has fostered collaboration with more than 35 industry partners.
Kenan Song’s research focuses on processing, structure and properties of polymer-based nanoparticle-filled composites, emphasizing manufacturing, characterization, simulation and practical applications to enhance structural and functional performance. He holds seven issued U.S. patents and has received awards from the National Science Foundation, the American Chemical Society and the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering, among others.
Wenzhan Song’s interdisciplinary research in sensor networks, sensor data analytics and secure data infrastructures has resulted in technologies with applications in health, security and infrastructure monitoring. His team invented the first “subsurface camera” that uses seismic signals for real-time 3D imaging with applications in environmental mentoring, geotechnical engineering and security.
NAI Senior Members will be formally inducted on June 23-26 at the NAI annual meeting in Atlanta. A full list of NAI Senior members is available on the website.
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