Karen L. Wooley, chief technology officer (CTO) of Teysha Technologies, has been selected to be inducted into the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) as a 2019 NAI Fellow, effective as of April 10, 2020.
The distinction, the highest given solely to academic inventors, highlights Wooley’s contributions to polymer science that include Teysha’s own biopolymer plastic with tuneable biodegradability properties.
The NAI Fellow Program recognises academic inventors who have demonstrated a spirit of invention, and created outstanding inventions that have had a positive impact on quality of life, economic development and society.
Matthew Stone, managing director of Teysha Technologies, said: “Karen’s NAI fellowship highlights the importance of the work she has pioneered with Teysha. This is a strong recognition of her crucial role in developing Teysha’s AggiePol platform, which turns organic material into a viable plastic substitute. That invention could significantly reduce plastic pollution in our ocean, and is just one of Karen’s achievements that could benefit society.”
Other inventions from Wooley’s laboratory include a non-toxic polymer coating that prevents marine animals from sticking to ships’ hulls, nanomedical devices for treatment of disease, and nanoparticles that can absorb 10 times their weight in spilled crude oil.
As well as being inventor and CTO at Teysha Technologies, Wooley is a University Distinguished Professor at Texas A&M University.
The NAI will induct Wooley with 167 other fellows in Phoenix on April 10, 2020
