ΒιΆΉΣ³» faculty member and trailblazing innovator Anthony Czarnik was elected to the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), announced Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024.
“This prestigious honor recognizes Dr. Czarnik’s exceptional achievements as an inventor – his contributions have made a significant impact on innovation, economic development and society’s welfare,” Paul R. Sanberg, president of the National Academy of Inventors, said. “As a member of the 2024 Class of NAI Fellows, he joins a distinguished group of world-class innovators and leaders who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation through outstanding inventions.”
Since 2004, Czarnik has served on the faculty of the College of Science’s Department of Chemistry. He is an advisor to the University’s biotechnology internship program and a valued member of the Northern ΒιΆΉΣ³» innovation ecosystem, housed at the University’s Innevation Center.
“Dr. Czarnik’s election to the NAI is a prestigious recognition honoring academic inventors whose groundbreaking work has significantly improved society,” Louisa Hope-Weeks, dean of the College of Science, said.
Spanning academia, industry and entrepreneurial ventures, Czarnik’s career is a testament to innovation and impact. A tenured professor at The Ohio State University, Czarnik earned accolades including the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship and the Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award. Transitioning to industry, he co-founded Illumina, whose DNA sequencing technologies revolutionized genomic research, enabling breakthroughs in personalized medicine and public health, including global COVID-19 monitoring. He has filed more than 250 patent applications, and in 2009, was listed as one of the top 100 inventors in the United States.
“I am fortunate to have had opportunities in basic research and in applied research,” Czarnik said. “Modern day chemists are not so different from the alchemists of antiquity. We have the ability to change inexpensive materials into highly valuable products, such as medicines and substances used in farming, TV screens and devices that absorb carbon dioxide from the air. Unless you’re in the vacuum of outer space, everything around you is made of molecules and is therefore our playground.”
Since joining the ΒιΆΉΣ³» in 2003, Czarnik has received 32 patents in Reno, focusing on deuterium-labeled biomolecules, pioneering treatments with enhanced efficacy. With 42 U.S. patents overall and seven startup companies to his name, his entrepreneurial spirit exemplifies the transformative power of research.
“Dr. Czarnik’s election to NAI underscores the University’s commitment to fostering innovation that drives global progress,” Mridul Gautam, vice president for research and innovation, said.
From advancing continuous glucose monitoring with Senseonics devices to shaping combinatorial chemistry as editor-in-chief of the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Combinatorial Chemistry, Czarnik’s contributions to biotechnology and chemistry have profoundly impacted science and society.
“President Sandoval’s vision for our university, which he has termed ‘Land Grant 2.0,’ is a bold endeavor aimed at using the personnel and physical resources of the University to fulfill the ‘service’ part of our mission by inventing solutions that change people’s lives,” Czarnik said. “That’s exciting to me and something I am actively working at to make real.”
Czarnik will be formally inducted at the 14th NAI Annual Conference, held June 23-26, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia. During the ceremony, he will receive an official NAI Fellow certificate, medal, rosette and lapel pin, presented by representatives from the NAI and the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
