Alumnus Professor Paul R. Sanberg (PhD '81, DSc '98), senior vice president for research, innovation and economic development at the University of South Florida in Tampa and president of the National Academy of Inventors, has been named the 2015 Medalist of the Florida Academy of Sciences. The award was announced on March 20 at the annual banquet of the Florida Academy of Sciences.
"The Florida Academy of Sciences Medalist is a member of theFlorida scientific community who has made a significant contribution to the advancement and promotion of science," said Sanjay Sesodia, president of the Florida Academy of Sciences. "Based on his extensive and long engagement in research, innovation and education, Professor Sanberg well exemplifies these characteristics, and the Academy is pleased to honor him for his achievements."
Sanberg, a native Floridian who trained at York University, University of British Columbia, Australian National University and Johns Hopkins University, held academic positions at Ohio University,University of Cincinnati, and Brown University, before joining theUniversity of South Florida, where he is Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, Morsani College of Medicine. He also has faculty appointments in USF's College of Engineering and Muma College of Business.
Sanberg is an inventor on 109 U.S. and foreign patents, a number of which have been licensed and in clinical trials. He has served on numerous scientific advisory boards for health-related foundations and companies. He is the author of more than 600 articles and 14 books, with more than 23,000 citations to his published work.
Sanberg is a Charter Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), and the Royal Societies of Chemistry, Medicine and Public Health. He is an AAAS-Lemelson Invention Ambassador and serves on the selection committee for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Innovation Expo at the Smithsonian, the advisory board for the Association of Public & Land-grant Universities (APLU) commission on innovation, competitiveness, and economic prosperity and the nomination evaluation committee of the U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation. He is the founder of several health-related companies and his work in stem cell research has helped to lay the foundation for the new field of regenerative medicine.
"We are indeed very pleased to welcome Dr. Sanberg to the ranks of distinguished medalists from USF," said Sesodia.
