Boilermaker research demonstrates excellence at scale: Purdue ranks in top 5 in U.S. for U.S. patents received

Purdue University researchers rank 5th among U.S. universities in U.S. patents received in 2023, with 198 patents

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Accelerated bone fracture healing methods. User-friendly, smartphone-driven 3D free-form shape designs. Higher-yield, protein-rich chia seeds. A new crowd management system to help detect and safely evacuate high-density public events.

The connection? All are groundbreaking patents created by Purdue University researchers in 2023. Their innovations — alongside nearly 200 others — reflect Purdue’s status as a global leader among its peers in protecting intellectual property.

Purdue Research Foundation received 198 patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office during the 2023 calendar year, placing it sixth internationally and in the top five for U.S. universities for the third year in a row. The information was published in a report Thursday (Feb. 15) from the National Academy of Inventors.

“The excellence at scale of Purdue inventions is yet again reflected in the top five ranking of American universities receiving U.S. patents in 2023, translating fundamental research breakthroughs to societal impact,” Purdue President Mung Chiang said. “Launched last year, the Purdue Innovates program will intensify the support for Boilermaker inventors and entrepreneurs in years to come.”

The Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) manages the technology transfer process to vet, protect and license innovations developed by university researchers, including filing patent applications. Its technology portfolio covers innovations in subject areas including agriculture, biotechnology, chemistry and chemical analysis, computer technology, engineering, food and nutrition, green technology, micro- and nanotechnologies, and more.

Brian Edelman, president of Purdue Research Foundation, echoes that commitment to innovation across all disciplines. “Purdue Research Foundation is proud to provide critical resources to support faculty, staff and student researchers across all academic disciplines and campuses who want to commercialize their inventions,” he said. “These commercialization resources bring this cutting-edge, innovative work to the public, where it can enhance quality of life and economic and workforce development.”

“Maintaining a top global ranking among U.S. universities serves as a testament to the unwavering dedication of Purdue Innovates and the relentless pursuit of global improvement through Purdue’s technologies by our researchers,” said Brooke Beier, senior vice president of Purdue Innovates. “Purdue Innovates takes great pride in celebrating the outstanding achievements of our researchers and their pioneering endeavors. Our committed team works tirelessly to protect the intellectual property arising from these innovations, strategically positioning them for successful commercialization.”

Ken Waite, chief patent counsel and director of intellectual property, reiterated the collaborative nature of Purdue’s success: “I’m very proud of the IP team for their fantastic efforts to protect the important technological advancements being developed at Purdue University. Protecting Purdue intellectual property and sharing that technology with the world is at the heart of our mission at OTC, and we take our role as steward of these great inventions very seriously.”

Among the 2023 patents were:

• “Ion Focusing,” “Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Microorganisms in Samples,” “Sample Analysis Systems and Methods of Use Thereof” and “Systems and Methods for Increasing Reaction Yield” by Graham Cooks, the Henry Bohn Hass Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, College of Science. 
• “Hardware Accelerator for Convolutional Neural Networks and Method of Operation Thereof” by Eugenio Culurciello, professor and interim director of the Purdue Institute for Physical Artificial Intelligence, College of Engineering.
• “Crowd Traffic Management System” by Eric Dietz, director of Purdue Homeland Security Institute, director of Purdue Military Research Institute, and professor of computer and information technology, Purdue Polytechnic Institute.
• “3-Dimensional (3D) Tissue-Engineering Muscle for Tissue Restoration” by Sherry Harbin, professor, College of Engineering and College of Veterinary Medicine.
• “Light-Emitting Device and Method of Making the Same” by Tillmann Kubis, the Katherine Ngai Pesic and Silvaco Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering.
• “Rapid Concentration, Recovery, and Detection of Pathogens in Food Samples” by Michael Ladisch, Distinguished Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering and affiliate of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, College of Agriculture and College of Engineering.
• “Chia Seed-Derived Products and the Process Thereof” by Andrea M. Liceaga, associate professor, College of Agriculture.
• “Bone Fracture Repair by Targeting of Agents That Promote Bone Healing” by Philip Low, Presidential Scholar for Drug Discovery and the Ralph C. Corley Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, College of Science.
• “Personal Sampler for Bioaerosol” by Jae Hong Park, associate professor, College of Health and Human Sciences.
• “Communication Device and Method of Making the Same” by Shreyas Sen, Elmore Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering.
• “Integrated Thermoelectric Film-Based Woven Power Generator” by Kazuaki Yazawa, research professor, Birck Nanotechnology Center.
• “Process and Composition Matter of Nanoparticle Formulation for Systemic Treatment of Sepsis” by Yoon Yeo, associate department head, College of Pharmacy.

In the 2023 fiscal year, the Office of Technology Commercialization:

• Received 400 total disclosures from Purdue innovators: 375 invention disclosures and 25 copyright disclosures.
• Filed 809 patent applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and international patent organizations.
• Received 262 U.S. and international patents.
• Executed 150 licenses and options.
• Helped establish 14 startup companies. 

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research institution demonstrating excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top four in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue across modalities and locations, including nearly 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the new Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business, and Purdue Computes — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.

About Purdue Innovates

Purdue Innovates is a unified network at Purdue Research Foundation to assist Purdue faculty, staff, students and alumni in either IP commercialization or startup creation. As a conduit to technology commercialization, intellectual property protection and licensing, startup creation and venture capital, Purdue Innovates serves as the front door to translate new ideas into world-changing impact. For more information on licensing a Purdue innovation, contact the Office of Technology Commercialization at otcip@prf.org. For more information about involvement and investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact Purdue Innovates at purdueinnovates@prf.org.

About the Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted Utility Patents in 2023

The information provided in this list is based on data obtained from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. For this report, a university is defined as an institution that has undergraduate degrees. Patents include only utility patents granted during the 2023 calendar year. All assignees are credited for patents when listed. The number of patents granted does not necessarily indicate the value of a university’s technology, the effectiveness of its research, or whether its patents will be successfully licensed and/or brought to market. This is a dynamic list of worldwide institution patents. Some universities may record patents under different, yet similar names or combine their patents under one foundation or trustee name. If you have questions please contact:  info@academyofinventors.org

Writer/Media contact: Polly Barks, phbarks@prf.org

Sources: Mung Chiang

Brian Edelman, beedelman@prf.org

Brooke Beier, blbeier@prf.org

Ken Waite, kjwaite@prf.org