Florida State University Vice President for Research Stacey S. Patterson this summer was officially inducted into the National Academy of Inventors, the highest professional distinction awarded to academic inventors.
"Being named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors is an incredible honor," Patterson said when she learned the news this past spring. "I firmly believe that our responsibility as academic innovators extends beyond discovery - we must actively translate the knowledge and breakthroughs developed within our universities into real-world solutions to help improve lives. This part of our mission inspires me daily, driving my passion to ensure that our researchers and ideas create meaningful, lasting benefits for society."
Patterson, who has served as FSU's vice president for Research since 2022, has a long record of translating academic research into commercial applications. She holds several U.S. patents that focus on novel detection platforms and engineered cell lines used to accelerate drug discovery and toxicity testing. Her work also led to 490 BioTech, a Knoxville-based startup company, where she was one of four co-founders. 490 BioTech was highlighted as one of the top ten innovations in 2013 by The Scientist Magazine.
Since arriving at FSU, Patterson has led the launch of several initiatives aimed at accelerating research translation, entrepreneurship and innovation. Here are three ways Patterson and the Division of Research are championing a culture of innovation at FSU.
- Expanding research translation through IGNITE-FSU Program: Patterson secured $6M from the National Science Foundation's Accelerating Research Translation (ART) program to kickstart FSU's efforts. Known as IGNITE-FSU, this program provides faculty with targeted funding, institutional infrastructure and coordinated support across research, commercialization and entrepreneurial support teams to take discoveries from university labs and fast-track them into tangible societal and economic solutions.
- Opening the IGNITE Tallahassee incubator
