Francisco Valero-Cuevas, Wei Wu and Theo Tsotsis, professors in the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, have been named 2024 fellows of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).
The award recognizes “academic inventors who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society.”
According to the NAI, this class of fellows comes from 135 research universities, governmental, and non-profit research institutions worldwide. Learn more about the three USC inventors:
Francisco Valero-Cuevas
Francisco Valero-Cuevas, a professor of biomedical engineering, aerospace and mechanical engineering, electrical and computer engineering, computer science, and biokinesiology and physical therapy (the latter two at the USC Health Sciences Campus), is renowned for his pioneering work at the intersection of robotics, neuroscience and biomechanics. His groundbreaking research has advanced understanding of human movement and inspired innovations in medical robotics and rehabilitation.
Valero-Cuevas leads the USC Valero Lab, which aims to understand brain-body interactions in biological and engineered systems by combining biology, neuroscience, mathematics, computer science and engineering. One of the Valero Lab’s key research areas examines how robotics and AI can be harnessed to support human function and rehabilitation — and how to create autonomous bio-robots. The lab recently developed an AI-controlled robotic limb driven by animal-like tendons that can quickly learn to walk without prior knowledge.
The son of a self-taught electrical engineer and innovator who built the first AM radio station in southern Mexico, Valero-Cuevas has invented reusable construction systems to make masonry arches — a problem since the time of the Romans; surgical implants to improve hand function in people with partial upper extremity paralysis; systems to train and rehabilitate the dynamic control of the fingers, arms and legs; as well as toys to place in the cribs of young babies to promote healthy development and prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). He is also working on AI systems to help brain surgeons perform more accurate surgeries.
Valero-Cuevas said, “People often think of engineers as people who take regulations and textbook knowledge to solve problems, which is true in some cases. But engineers are uniquely capable of conceptualizing the world in a rigorous, mathematical, and data-driven way, which allows us to take the world as it is and make it better for society. Some people call this being an inventor, but such creativity is inherent to being engineers.”
In 2021, Valero-Cuevas was elected to join the National Advisory Board on Medical Rehabilitation Research (NABMRR) from the National Institutes of Health. He is also a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological (AIMBE).
Wei Wu
Wei Wu, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, has been recognized for his transformative contributions to nanotechnology and electronic devices. His innovative work in nanoimprint lithography — a technology that has revolutionized microchip manufacturing and enabled faster, more efficient electronic devices — has paved the way for next-generation semiconductors and photonic devices, shaping the future of electronics and computing.
With over 121 U.S. patents and numerous high-impact publications, Wu’s innovations have earned him widespread acclaim. Notably, ten of his patents have been licensed to three different startup companies, and another three patents were sold to Samsung and Apple, underscoring the commercial impact of his inventions.
Said Wu: “Since childhood, I have always admired Thomas Edison and dreamed of becoming an inventor. I always felt that humans can never be as good as machines in remembering things or doing calculations. However, we can still be more creative than machines. Being elected a fellow in the NAI is a recognition of me as an inventor and my creativity.”
According to Professor Joshua Yang, one of his colleagues, “Wu’s entrepreneurial spirit is exemplified by his co-founding of EZImprinting Inc., which has successfully commercialized the nanoimprint machine he invented. This machine has seen significant adoption, with over 60 systems sold across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. His contributions to nanoimprint lithography were recognized with the prestigious Nanoimprint Pioneer Award from the Conference of Nanoimprint and Nanoprinting in 2015.”
In addition, Wu invented a variable-voxel 3D printing technology, which greatly improves both the resolution and throughput of 3D printing (stereolithography). This technology was recognized by the USC Stevens Center for Innovation Commercialization Award in 2020.
Wu’s favorite invention, however, is his most recent one: “a circuit that can solve Boolean Satisfiability problems with orders of magnitude improvements in speed. The problem we are solving is the mathematical foundation of a lot of applications, such as electronic design automation, hardware and software verification and logistics planning.”
Theo Tsotsis
Theo Tsotsis, Robert E. Vivian Chair in Energy Resources and professor of chemical engineering and materials science, has been honored for his groundbreaking research in chemical reaction engineering and catalysis. His innovations have had a profound impact on energy systems, environmental sustainability and chemical manufacturing processes.
According to his colleague, Professor Petros Ioannou, Tsotsis is “among the pillars of the field of chemical reaction engineering (CRE)…internationally recognized as a pioneer in the reactive separations (RS) field and as the father of high-temperature membrane reactors (MR), having originated applications to dehydrogenation, hydroprocessing, dehydration, steam reforming, and volatile organic compound oxidation.”
He has authored over 290 technical papers, 12 book chapters, nine patents (and one pending) and one book.
Said Tsotsis: “My current area of research focus is carbon capture and utilization (CCU) and green hydrogen production. Carbon dioxide emissions represent an existential threat for our planet, and it is important that we find ways to curb them and eventually completely eliminate them. This turns out to be a very challenging and costly undertaking. My research focuses on how to not only efficiently separate the CO2 out of the flue gas of various power and industrial operations but also to find effective and economic ways to convert it into valuable products that we can sell to defray some, if not all, of the significant costs involved in the separation and capture processes.”
He has developed two novel carbon capture and utilization processes, including one that is currently being tested by California-based Sheeta Global Technology Corporation.
In addition, his work in green hydrogen production involves two novel processes, including a patent that focuses on utilizing waste biomass for ultra-pure hydrogen production; it is jointly developed with TIS, a California start-up company. With support from the California Energy Commission, the process is presently field-tested at a TIS site in Adelanto, California.
The 2024 Class of Fellows will be honored at the NAI 14th Annual Meeting on June 26th, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia.