ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Sandia National Laboratories’ Fellow Tina Nenoff has been elected a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the academy announced on Dec. 10, 2024.
The NAI is an organization comprising universities and governmental and non-profit research institutes, with over 2,000 fellows, including Sandia engineer Babu Chalamala and former Sandia Fellow Jeff Brinker. According to the academy, election as an NAI Fellow is the highest professional distinction accorded solely to academic inventors. Founded in 2010, the academy recognizes and encourages inventors with patents issued by the Patent and Trademark Office, enhances the visibility of foundational and applied technology and innovation and translates members’ inventions to benefit society.
“I am very honored and humbled by being recognized as a Fellow of NAI,” Nenoff said. “I have had a long career moving between Technology Readiness Levels: using fundamental science knowledge in mission programs or optimizing applied projects by going back to the atomic-scale fundamental science. This has allowed me to build a strong IP portfolio, resulting in the licensing of patents and even some commercial products.”
Nenoff’s recognition stems from her innovative research on nano-scale sponges and sieves, called metal-organic frameworks and crystalline silico-titanate. Her work spans from understanding their fundamental properties to applying them to critical challenges such as cleaning up more than 40 million gallons of radioactive water from Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami and reducing the water demands of conventional power plants.
Her research record includes publishing more than 190 peer-reviewed articles and four book chapters as well as being awarded 17 U.S. patents. Nenoff has received many other professional recognitions including being elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a fellow of the American Chemical Society and receiving the Society of Women Engineers’ highest honor, the Achievement Award.
Recognizing the value of Nenoff’s technical expertise and counsel, she was appointed science advisor to National Nuclear Security Administration Administrator and Department of Energy Under Secretary for Nuclear Security Jill Hruby. This two-year appointment began in March 2023.
Nenoff and the other 169 innovative inventors from 12 countries will be presented their medals by a senior official of the United States Patent and Trademark Office at the NAI Annual Meeting on June 26 in Atlanta, Georgia.
This Sandia National Laboratories news article "Materials scientist elected to National Academy of Inventors" was originally found on https://www.sandia.gov/news/
