News J-WAFS PI Alex Slocum elected as a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors

Slocum’s credentials include 116 issued patents, two books on machine design, over 150 papers, and more.

Summer Weidman Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab December 7, 2021

The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) has elected J-WAFS PI Alex Slocum to NAI Fellow status.

The NAI Fellows Program honors academic inventors who have demonstrated a spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating extraordinary inventions that have made a tangible impact on the quality of life, economic development, and welfare of society. Election to NAI Fellow is the highest professional distinction awarded solely to academic inventors.

The 2021 Fellow class collectively holds over 4,800 U.S. patents and hails from 116 research universities and governmental and non-profit research institutes worldwide. Their collective body of research and entrepreneurship covers a wide range of scientific disciplines involved with the technology transfer of their inventions for the benefit of society.

"The caliber of this year's class of NAI Fellows is outstanding. Each of these individuals are highly regarded in their respective fields," says Paul R. Sanberg, Founder and President of the NAI. "The breadth and scope of their discovery is truly staggering. I'm excited not only see their work continue, but also to see their knowledge influence a new era of science, technology, and innovation worldwide."

Alexander Slocum, the Walter M. May and A. Hazel May Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, is recognized for his creation and facilitation of inventions that have positively impacted society. Through a J-WAFS India Grant, Slocum worked on a project that aimed to improve the cost and accessibility of fertilizers to rural farmers. The project led to a technology that can be deployed in a small-scale, low-cost, decentralized manner in rural villages to convert agricultural residues into carbon-rich fertilizer. This technology is now used on over 1,000 farms. Slocum is currently working with Xylem, Inc., a J-WAFS Research Affiliate, to develop a novel pump that uses adaptive hydraulics for improved pump efficiency. He regularly works with companies on the development of new products and has over 116 issued U.S. patents.

The 2021 Fellow class will be inducted at the Fellows Induction Ceremony at the 11th Annual Meeting of the National Academy of Inventors this June in Phoenix, Arizona. J-WAFS congratulates Alex Slocum on this great honor and for his many inventions that have positively impacted society.