Two University of Pittsburgh professors have been named to the 2021 fellow class of the National Academy of Inventors, the country's highest professional distinction for inventors in academia.
William “Buddy” Clark and Steven R. Little, both from Pitt's Swanson School of Engineering, are the university's 9th and 10th faculty members to be awarded such an honor since the NAI's first fellow class in 2015. In total, the NAI selected 164 members for this year's class, a group of people who come from 116 research universities and collectively hold over 4,800 issued U.S. patents.
"We are thrilled to have two more outstanding Pitt innovators named as Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors," Evan Facher, vice chancellor for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Pittsburgh and director of the Innovation Institute, said in a statement. "What stands out about both Buddy and Steve is their willingness to collaborate across disciplines to develop solutions to problems and their passion for nurturing a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship among their colleagues and students."
Clark, a professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at Pitt, co-founded Diamond Kinetics, a Pittsburgh-based company that produces data-driven bat swing and throwing systems for baseball and softball training. Its products are used by teams in Major League Baseball and can be sold directly to consumers at various Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. (NYSE: DKS) retail locations. Located on the North Shore near PNC Park, the company employs 30. To date, Clark has been issued 11 patents, many of which focus on sensor-based technologies, and has several others pending approval.
Little, a distinguished professor and the William Kepler Whiteford Professor of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at Pitt, is a co-founder of a Pitt spinout called Qrono Inc, a company that develops therapies that try to change the way cancer tumor cells and immune cells interact as part of an effort that allows for immune cells to infiltrate metastatic tumors. He holds 12 patents and has secured nearly $30 million in peer-reviewed funding from federal sources.
