Four UTA faculty members honored by National Academy of Inventors

Tuesday, Apr 08, 2025 • Greg Pederson :

Four faculty members at The University of Texas at Arlington have been named to the 2025 Class of Senior Members of the National Academy of Inventors for their outstanding achievements in invention and innovation and for their commitment to advancing technology for the benefit of society.

The group includes Colin Cameron, professor of research in chemistry and biochemistry; Rasika Dias, distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry; Panos Shiakolas, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering; and Baohong Yuan, distinguished professor of bioengineering.

NAI Senior Members are active faculty, scientists, and administrators with success in patents, licensing, and commercialization and have produced technologies that have brought or aspire to bring real impact on the welfare of society, according to the NAI website.

“UTA has a strong legacy of innovation, and I’m thrilled to see Drs. Cameron, Dias, Shiakolas, and Yuan recognized for their outstanding research discoveries,” said Kate Miller, UTA vice president for research and innovation. “Their work exemplifies the University’s commitment to fostering groundbreaking discoveries that make economic and societal impact.”

The 2025 Senior Members will be formally inducted at a ceremony during the NAI’s 14th Annual Conference, June 23-26 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Colin Cameron

Cameron’s research has included artificial muscles and other forms of materials-based actuation, electrochemical supercapacitors, lead-acid batteries, electrochromic coatings, and corrosion-resistant paints for aircraft. In 2012 he and Sherri McFarland, UTA professor of chemistry and biochemistry, founded PhotoDynamic Inc. to commercialize a plant extract that becomes a potent antimicrobial when activated by light. In 2019, after working with the McFarland group on a casual basis for nearly a decade, Cameron joined the UTA faculty to devote himself full-time to the group’s research in the development of drugs which can fight cancer. He and McFarland were co-authors of two patents in 2023 related to the production of a commercial product which became the first to ever receive investment from the American Association of Orthodontists.

“It certainly is a great honor to be recognized by the Academy as a Senior Member,” he said. “I am grateful to my peers and collaborators who have long inspired a spirit of creativity and emphasized the value of innovation.”

Before coming to UTA, Cameron worked as a defense scientist for the Canadian Department of National Defense from 2002-16 and as a senior research scientist at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro from 2016-19.

Rasika Dias

Dias is chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. His research interests include homogeneous catalysis, ethylene chemistry (olefin-paraffin separation, sensing, and effects on plants), luminescent materials, reaction intermediates, and ligand design. His lab uses a variety of modern synthetic and analytical techniques, including Schlenk and glove box methods, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography. He holds several patents and has published more than 250 articles in peer-reviewed journals, which have garnered over 18,000 citations.

“I am grateful to the National Academy of Inventors for recognizing our work,” he said. “This acknowledgment also serves as a testament to the exceptional quality of the many remarkable students and scientists I have had the pleasure of working with on our research team over the years, as well as to their contributions and hard work.”

Dias has received the Wilfred T. Doherty Award of the Dallas-Fort Worth Section of the American Chemical Society, and the Southwest Regional American Chemical Society Award, among other honors. Most recently he was named a 2025 Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Panos Shiakolas

Shiakolas is a researcher in the areas of robotics, manufacturing, microprocessors, and automation control as they relate to the betterment of society. His current research focuses on micro-devices for medical diagnostics and the progression of difficult-to-access areas of the body, human-robot interaction with applications in assistive robotics and upper limb prostheses, and additive manufacturing. His research also includes understanding basic needs by students in succeeding in STEM education. He also is developing and implementing innovative approaches to engineering education. He is the director of the Manufacturing Medical Automation and Robotic Systems (MMARS) Lab at UTA, which is involved in both academic and industry-sponsored research. His research has been funded by various sponsors, including National Science Foundation, U.S. Air Force, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Bell Helicopter, and others.

“I am honored to be nominated and selected to the 2025 Class of Senior Members of the National Academy of Inventors. I would like to thank the local UTA chapter and the national chapter,” he said. “My research success would not be possible without the contributions from those whom I have had the pleasure and honor to interact and work with, both mentors and mentees, during my professional career. I would like to thank them and share this award with them.”

Shiakolas came to UTA in 1993 as a faculty associate. He became an assistant professor in 1996 and was promoted to tenured associate professor in 2003.

Baohong Yuan

Yuan’s research focuses on the development of innovative cancer imaging and treatment technologies involved in optical and ultrasound methods. He has previously developed high-resolution imaging for deep tissue so doctors can use sharper pictures to monitor or evaluate treatment results. His work focuses on using ultrasound-mediated techniques, combined with microparticles or nanoparticles, that tumors attract, to image small but deep tumors. When exposed to ultrasound waves, the particles become temporarily fluorescent and can be detected by a non-invasive probe system that he and other researchers designed.

“I am truly honored to be selected as a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors,” Yuan said. “Innovation is at the heart of my research, and this recognition reinforces my commitment to developing cutting-edge biomedical imaging technologies that push the boundaries of science and healthcare. It is inspiring to be part of a community that values creativity, impact, and translational research. I look forward to continuing collaborations that drive meaningful advancements in deep tissue imaging, nanotechnology, and optical and ultrasound applications. I deeply appreciate this recognition from NAI and the support of my colleagues and institution.”

Yuan joined the UTA Department of Bioengineering in 2010. He is a Fellow of the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE) and a Senior Member of Optica (formerly known as the Optical Society of America).

The UTA chapter of NAI provides a platform to recognize the achievements of the researchers and inventors locally, and to advocate for a culture of innovation and commercialization in the context of academic research.

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