Vincent Harris, Saeed Amal honored by National Academy of Inventors
The engineering professors were recognized for their research in areas ranging from material science to health care.
When Vincent Harris, a triple Husky, returned to Northeastern University as a faculty member in 2003, he had plans to combine his entrepreneurial ambitions with his research in electronic materials.
Today, the University Distinguished Professor and William Lincoln Smith Chair has much to be proud of in those domains. He ranks as the world’s leading researcher in ferrite ceramics and magnets, and is the founder of a Northeastern spinout company that provides microwave components for the likes of Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
Among his proudest achievements, however, is not just receiving Northeastern’s 2024 National Academy of Inventors Innovation Impact Award —it’s the mentorship he has provided to over one hundred undergraduate and graduate students over his two decades at Northeastern.
The award, he says, belongs to his mentors, peers, and students who helped him along the way.
“Anyone who stands up there and gets an award like this, they really should point out that it’s not an individual award at all,” Harris says. “You’re really receiving the award from the efforts of hundreds of people, at least in my case.”
Harris was given the award by Northeastern’s Center for Research Innovation, the university’s chapter of National Academy of Inventors.
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The center also honored Northeastern bioengineering professor Saeed Amal with the Emerging Visionary Award for his work in developing artificial intelligence tools to help diagnose and treat various forms of cancers and cardiovascular disease.
Harris a professor, founder and director
At Northeastern, Harris wears many hats. In addition to being a electrical and computer engineering professor, he is also the founding director of the Center for Microwave Magnetic Materials and Integrated Circuits, and the new CEO and director of Northeastern’s Kostas Research Institute for Homeland Security.
Additionally, Harris is the founder of Metamagnetics Inc, a Northeastern spinout company he created in 2009. The company develops and manufactures microwave and millimeter-wave components for the U.S. government and defense contractors, including the Navy, Army, Air Force, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, among others.
Amal is advancing precision medicine
As a research professor at the Roux Institute, Amal is advancing AI tools in the field of precision medicine. In recognizing him with the award, the center highlighted several of his most groundbreaking research projects, including his development of deep learning-based image classification technologies for breast cancer detection and his creation of a web tool to accelerate prostate cancer diagnosis.
“What sets Dr. Amal apart is not just his innovative spirit but also his commitment to translating research into real-world solutions,” the Center for Research Innovation said in announcing the award. “With testing and deployment of his AI-driven tools expected within the year on several solid tumors, his work promises to bring hope and improved outcomes to countless patients.”
Amal, who previously worked as vice president of research and development at CardiaX Medical, says the award is a “big honor.”
“It’s national recognition for the work I’m doing,” he says. “It motivates me to do more.”
