Klein College of Science researcher honored by inventors academy

Ishwar Aggarwal, a research professor in physics and optical science, was elected to the National Academy of Inventors 2024 Class of Fellows. He will be inducted during the NAI’s 14th annual meeting in June.

Aggarwal, who joined UNC Charlotte in 2011, has been issued 104 U.S. patents with more applications in process. Prior to the University, he led the Optical Materials and Devices branch at the Naval Research Laboratory, where he pioneered the development, applications and commercialization of infrared transmitting optical materials, chem-bio sensors and high strength transparent materials and moved patents from emerging technologies to the industrial sector in medical, defense and aerospace applications.

Aggarwal’s research lab in the Klein College of Science Department of Physics and Optical Science works in fiber optics, optical wave guides, fiber devices and transparent and laser gain ceramics.

His contributions to the optical sciences field are widely recognized. He was named a fellow of the Optical Society of America, now known as Optica. Additionally, he received the U.S. Navy’s Alan Berman Publication Award, the Thomas A. Edison Patent Award and the Optical Society of America’s David Richardson Medal.

Recently, he was inducted into UNC Charlotte’s inaugural Million Dollar Research Circle for his significant research funding achievements.

The NAI Fellowship is the highest professional distinction awarded solely to inventors, and Aggarwal is the first UNC Charlotte professor to receive this esteemed recognition.

Robert Keynton, dean of the William States Lee College of Engineering, was elected an NAI Fellow in 2017, prior to joining UNC Charlotte in 2020.