"Inventions and technologies developed by Dr. Abidi and his team have potential to
bring real impact for growing agriculture in West Texas and benefitting society at
large."
Noureddine Abidi, Texas Tech's Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources Associate Dean for Research, has been honored as a Class of 2024 Senior Member by the National Academy of Inventors Senior Member Advisory Committee and Board of Directors. He will be inducted at the 13th NAI Annual Conference on Monday (Jun. 17) in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Abidi was recognized because he is an academic inventor who is a rising leader in his field with success in patents, licensing, and commercialization, and for producing technologies that have brought, or aspire to bring, real impact on the welfare of society.
“I'm honored to be associated with this prestigious academy,” Abidi said. “It gives me a tremendous encouragement to continue my research and innovation.”
NAI President Paul Sanberg noted that the senior member program, “allows us to expand our reach and further our goals in recognizing the contributions of academic inventors at the National Academy of Inventors member institutions around the globe.” Abidi is now one of 553 senior members affiliated with NAI member institutions across the globe.
“Davis College is very proud of Dr. Abidi and congratulate him for this well-deserved recognition,” said Davis College Dean Clint Krehbiel. “Noureddine continues to conduct and publish impactful research. Inventions and technologies developed by Dr. Abidi and his team have potential to bring real impact for growing agriculture in West Texas and benefitting society at large.”
In addition to his administrative duties at the college level, Abidi serves as managing director of the university's Fiber & Biopolymer Research Institute and is the Leidigh Professor within the Tech's Department of Plant & Soil Science.
Recent honors include President's Innovation Starup Award (2023); Accelerator Fund Award (2023); TTU Innovation Hub at Research Park Prototype Fund Award (2022); the President's Excellence in Commercialization Award (2021), and the Discover Natural Fibres Initiative Innovation Award (2020) for his work and the patent received for his discovery of changing low-grade cotton to a cellulose gel that can be used in a wide variety of ways. Currently, Abidi is part of the team participating in the TTU Accelerator program “New American Fabric.”
In the past Abidi's research has focused on the creation of antimicrobial textiles, self-cleaned textiles, the physicochemical characterization of pollen shells, cell wall development in cotton fibers, and the transformation of cellulose to bioproducts. Abidi has published 137 peer-review publications and generated 3 approved patents and 9 pending patents.
Abidi holds a doctorate in theoretical, physical and analytical chemistry from the University of Montpellier II in France. He joined the FBRI in 1999 as a research associate working in chemical finishes and textile chemistry, holding a bachelor's degree in chemistry and a master's degree in polymer chemistry.
According to the NAI, their overall mission is to recognize and encourage academic inventors with patents issued from the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, enhance the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourage the disclosure of intellectual property, educate, and mentor innovative students, and translate the inventions of its members to benefit society.
This story was first published in the Davis College NewsCenter. See the original article here.