A Carle Illinois College of Medicine faculty member has been named a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.
Bill King, a professor and the Ralph A. Andersen Endowed Chair in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering in the GCOE, was presented the honor because he has “demonstrated a highly prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding invention that have made a tangible impact on the quality of life, economic development, and welfare of society.”
“This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the culture of innovation at Illinois,” said King. “It is an honor to be recognized alongside great innovators in the 2023 class of fellows.”
King came to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2006. King also holds appointments in Carle Illinois College of Medicine's Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. He works on manufacturing science, micro-and nanotechnology, advanced materials, and thermal energy systems.
He is the co-founder of three companies, including Anasys Instruments which was acquired by Bruker and sells materials characterization equipment that is widely used by academia and industry. He also co-founded Fast Radius, a company that sells software-driven manufacturing and was recognized by the World Economic Forum as one of the world’s most advanced factories. King was the founding chief technology officer at the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute, now known as MxD, which was one of the first institutes in the U.S. National Network for Manufacturing Innovation. In this role, he created and led a $100 million portfolio of technology projects.
King is an elected fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Physical Society, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and SME International.
King will be inducted during a special ceremony in June 2023. It will happen at the NAI 12th Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Editor’s note: Adapted from an article written by Cassandra Smith of The Grainger College of Engineering. You can read the original version here.