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12/11/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 12/11/2025 09:11

Three UC San Diego Professors Inducted Into the National Academy of Inventors for 2025

Published Date

December 11, 2025

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Three professors at the University of California San Diego have been elected to the 2025 Class of Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).

Ping Liu, a professor of chemical and nano engineering at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering; Bernhard Palsson, a professor bioengineering at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering; and Alan R. Saltiel, a professor of medicine and pharmacology at UC San Diego School of Medicine, are among 185 new Fellows announced by the NAI today.

Election to NAI Fellow is the highest professional distinction awarded solely to inventors. Spanning fields from sustainable manufacturing to next-generation batteries and metabolic research, UC San Diego's NAI Fellows are tackling some of the biggest and most pressing issues of our time. Their success in translating research into products and services that improve lives demonstrates the continuing importance of the U.S. patent system.

Ping Liu

Ping Liu is a professor and the William Coles Endowed Chair in the Aiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and Nano Engineering at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, and the director of its Sustainable Power and Energy Center. Liu pioneers the development of materials and technologies to build the next generation of rechargeable batteries that are safer, longer-lasting, fast-charging and more environmentally friendly.

A prime example is an ultra-fast charging anode material - made from earth-abundant elements arranged in a unique crystal structure - that enables lithium-ion batteries to charge in just 3 minutes and last for 15,000 cycles. In comparison, commercial graphite-based batteries last about 1,500 cycles. This innovation led to the formation of Tyfast Energy, a company Liu co-founded to bring ultra-fast charging batteries to heavy-duty vehicles such as trucks and buses. Liu's lab also co-developed an ultrasound-emitting device that boosts the performance of both lithium metal and lithium-ion batteries. The device sends ultrasound waves through the battery's liquid electrolyte to promote more uniform lithium deposits on the anode during charging, which in turn enables the battery to charge faster and last longer. In tests, lithium metal batteries equipped with the device operated for 250 cycles, and lithium-ion batteries for over 2,000 cycles, with each cycle charging from zero to 100% in 10 minutes. The technology has been licensed to launch Sonocharge Energy, a startup where Liu serves as a scientific advisor.

Liu has a portfolio of 61 U.S. patents and a history of leadership roles at NREL, HRL Laboratories, and ARPA-E. At UC San Diego's Sustainable Power and Energy Center, he helps train the next generation of battery innovators by co-leading a hands-on summer battery boot camp for undergraduate and high school students.

Bernhard Palsson

Bernhard Palsson, Y.C. Fung Endowed Professor of Bioengineering at the Shu Chien-Gene Lay Department of Bioengineering and faculty member of the recently launched UC San Diego Future Biomanufacturing Center, is a leader in systems biology and genome engineering. His research focuses on understanding how cells - such as E. coli bacteria - function and how they can be reprogrammed to operate as miniature chemical factories. This approach, known as biomanufacturing, uses living microorganisms to produce high-value biochemicals at large scale. It offers a more sustainable alternative to traditional, fossil fuel-based chemical manufacturing.

Palsson is recognized for his contributions to advance modern biomanufacturing. His team developed a suite of computational tools that help scientists design the genetic and metabolic "instructions" to program microbes to produce specific products while still maintaining normal cellular functions. His lab also invented a robotic system called an automated adaptive laboratory evolution machine. It uses evolution to improve engineered microbes so that over many generations, the resulting strains become exceptionally effective at producing their target molecules. Using this platform, Palsson's team evolved an E. coli strain that grows only if it produces melatonin, the hormone commonly used as a sleep aid. Additionally, Palsson co-founded Genomatica, a San Diego-based biomanufacturing company that introduced the first commercial bio-based version of 1,4-butanediol in 2016. This chemical is used in everyday products like clothing, car parts and plastic packaging. Genomatica's sustainable manufacturing processes have helped reduce global carbon emissions by up to 85 million tons annually.

Over his career, Palsson has secured more than 45 U.S. patents, launched multiple biotechnology startups, and repeatedly earned a spot on Clarivate's Highly Cited Researchers list. In addition to biomanufacturing, his portfolio includes patents that have advanced bone marrow stem cell transplantation and laser ablation cytometry. As founding director of the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability in Denmark, he built an internationally recognized hub for developing next-generation cell factories for biomanufacturing. Palsson is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the AIMBE, AAAS, AAM, ASM and AIChE.

Alan R. Saltiel

Alan R. Saltiel is a distinguished professor of medicine and pharmacology and the Maryam Ahmadian Endowed Chair in Metabolic Health at UC San Diego School of Medicine. He also serves as director for the UC San Diego Institute for Diabetes and Metabolic Health and the UCSD-UCLA Diabetes Research Center. A leading figure in metabolic research, Saltiel has made foundational contributions to understanding insulin signaling, energy balance, and the molecular links between obesity and insulin resistance. His discoveries include identifying key proteins that help insulin manage how the body uses and stores sugar, as well as revealing new mechanisms of cellular communication that shape metabolic health.

In addition to his foundational metabolic discoveries, Saltiel has also made major contributions to therapeutic innovation. In industry, he led early research that supported the development of troglitazone, the first drug of its class approved for type 2 diabetes. He also directed the discovery of the first MEK inhibitors - agents that ultimately became foundational therapies for melanoma and other cancers. His work continues to inform new approaches to targeting metabolic disease.

With more than 325 publications, 20 patents, 70,000 citations, and numerous awards and honors, Saltiel is widely honored for scientific excellence and leadership. At UC San Diego, he is equally known for mentorship, fostering collaborative environments that support emerging scientists and advance groundbreaking research in metabolic health.

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