Lola Eniola-Adefeso Named Fellow of National Academy of Inventors
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Lola Eniola-Adefeso, Dean of UIC’s College of Engineering and professor of biomedical engineering, was named a 2025 fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.
The fellowship is the highest professional distinction awarded solely to inventors. As part of this year’s class, she joins 168 other U.S. distinguished academic and institutional inventors and 16 international fellows who span every major field of discovery.
Eniola-Adefeso’s research using blood-flow dynamics to design next-generation drug carriers that target inflammation has resulted in a growing patent portfolio, including three issued U.S. patents on polymer particle technologies that modulate neutrophil activity with one patent licensed to a biotech company.
“Translating research from the lab into inventions that can benefit society is an essential step toward solving global problems,” Eniola-Adefeso said. “At UIC, we are building this entrepreneurial ecosystem in Chicago and across the country to drive innovation, and recognitions like this underscore that we are on the right path.”
An accomplished scholar, Eniola-Adefeso has secured millions of dollars in federal research funding and is widely recognized for her contributions to biomedical engineering and translational science. She currently serves as the president of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and previously served as a director of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. She also serves on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Science Board. Eniola-Adefeso is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Biomedical Engineering Society, and the American Institute of Chemical Engineering.
The NAI Fellows Program was established to highlight 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. Eniola-Adefeso will be inducted as an NAI fellow at the NAI 15th Annual Conference on June 4, 2026, in Los Angeles, California.