The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) honored four Texas A&M University College of Engineering faculty members as part of the 2026 class of Senior Members.
Drs. Guillermo Aguilar, Heng Pan and Xingyong Song , and Stavros Kalafatis were among 230 emerging academic inventors in the largest class to date. Their peers hail from 82 NAI member institutions worldwide and collectively hold over 2,000 U.S. patents.
NAI Senior Members are active faculty, scientists and administrators who have excelled in patenting, licensing and commercialization. They have developed technologies that have made, or aim to make, a significant impact on the welfare of society. These rising stars foster innovation within their communities and institutions while educating and mentoring the next generation of inventors.
“This is a worthy recognition for our faculty members. Their innovative contributions exemplify the College of Engineering’s dedication to excellence,” said Dr. Robert H. Bishop, vice chancellor and dean of Texas A&M Engineering. “Their pioneering work not only makes a positive impact on the world but also serves as an inspiration for future generations of engineers.”
A Senior Member induction ceremony honoring the 2026 class will take place at NAI’s 15 th Annual Conference in Los Angeles this June.
Dr. Guillermo Aguilar
Aguilar has served as department head for the J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering since 2021 and currently holds the J.M. Forsyth Chair. He has received various recognitions for his teaching, mentoring and leadership, including the 2025 McDonald Mentoring Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
“I am deeply honored to be nominated and inducted as a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors. This recognition affirms my belief in the vital importance that applied research and technology development have in academia,” Aguilar said. “The work of applied researchers moves ideas beyond the lab and into the real world, helping drive economic development, which in turn fuels the next generation of discovery. Celebrating those who build, scale and commercialize innovation is essential, because economic impact is not only an outcome of applied research — it is the engine that sustains and propels it forward.”
Aguilar holds numerous prestigious fellowships in the engineering field. His research interests include cryogen spray cooling, laser-tissue interactions, biomedical optics and materials laser processing. He has co-authored more than 120 journal publications and advised students at every stage of their academic journeys.
Stavros Kalafatis
Kalafatis is a professor of practice in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. In 2005, he earned the Intel Achievement Award as a member of the Lynnfield Team. He is also a six-time winner of the Intel Divisional Recognition Award.
“I am humbled by the honor bestowed by the National Academy of Inventors in making me a Senior Member,” Kalafatis said. “Taking research concepts and getting them to full-fledged products takes collaboration from many people and disciplines while allowing theoretical work to map into improvements in our everyday lives. It is for this reason that I feel it is essential to provide this level of visibility to society, so that academic and industrial collaboration can flourish.”
His research focuses on datacenter system optimization and improvements in software-defined infrastructure, software-defined networking, and software-defined storage to enable higher server deployment efficiency. He also specializes in robotic application in manufacturing environments as well as sensor system development in agriculture.
Dr. Heng Pan
Pan is an associate professor in the J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering. In 2019, he received the National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award. He also earned the Oak Ridge Associated Universities Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award. Pan is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to develop a new manufacturing concept from small-scale experiments to an industrial scale,” Pan said. “I’m truly grateful for this recognition and will continue innovating for real-world impact.”
Pan’s research focuses on advanced manufacturing, including additive manufacturing, micro- and nano-manufacturing, dry battery electrode manufacturing, semiconductor manufacturing, laser-material interactions and laser processing.
Dr. Xingyong Song
Song is a professor in the Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution. In 2021, he earned the National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award. In 2018, he was recognized with both the National Academy of Sciences Gulf Research Program Early Career Research Fellow Award and the American Chemical Society Doctoral New Investigator Award.
“I am deeply honored to be inducted as a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors,” Song said. “I have always been passionate about developing innovations with real-world impact and translating laboratory discoveries into practical applications. I look forward to continuing this work with the strong support of Texas A&M University.”
Song’s research focuses on control, automation and robotics, with applications in small-scale mobile robots; on- and off-road autonomous vehicles; energy systems, including oil, gas and renewable energy; and autonomous construction and mining machinery.
By Campbell Atkins, Texas A&M University College of Engineering
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