Prof Tal Dvir of Tel Aviv University, Prof Hossam Haick of the Technion, and Prof Yaakov Nahmias of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have been named Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), the academy’s highest professional distinction honoring academic inventors whose innovations have made a significant societal and economic impact.
Title Image: Left to right: Prof. Yaakov Nahmias (Hebrew University), Prof. Hossam Haick (Technion), Prof. Tal Dvir (Tel Aviv University) | Credit: Hebrew University
NAI Fellow status is awarded to senior inventors whose patented technologies, scientific achievements, and entrepreneurial leadership have advanced innovation and technology transfer worldwide.
The three Israeli researchers inducted this year are:
Prof Tal Dvir
Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology, Tel Aviv University
Prof Tal Dvir is an internationally recognized leader in tissue and organ engineering. His pioneering research has led to major advances in regenerative medicine, including technologies for 3D printing human hearts and personalized spinal cord implants for patients with paralysis.
One of his most promising technologies is currently advancing toward what is expected to be the world’s first implantation of an engineered spinal cord implants in paralyzed patients, with the goal of restoring mobility.
Prof. Dvir’s work has earned numerous prestigious honors, including the Rapaport Young Investigator Award, the Juludan Prize, the Da Vinci Award, and three European Research Council (ERC) grants. His latest ERC grant supports research into repairing damaged heart tissue using printed cardiac tissues. Prof. Dvir is the Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of several biotechnology companies.
Prof Hossam Haick
Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
Prof Hossam Haick is a pioneer in the identification of disease-related molecular signatures in breath and skin, enabling the development of rapid, noninvasive diagnostic technologies capable of delivering accurate results within minutes.
His research group has also developed smart sensing patches for remote medicine and robotics, as well as radiation-free molecular imaging technologies for early disease detection and personalized diagnostics.
Prof Haick holds dozens of patents and has founded several startup companies based on his inventions. His innovations have contributed significantly to advances in medical diagnostics, wearable technologies, and electronic sensing. He has published more than 500 scientific papers and authored two books on sensing technologies and volatile biomarkers. Widely recognized as a leading educator in scientific innovation, he has mentored more than 110 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, many of whom now lead research groups and technology companies worldwide.
Prof Yaakov Nahmias
Institute of Life Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Prof Yaakov Nahmias is an internationally recognized pioneer in bioengineering and organ-on-chip technologies. He is Director of the Grass Center for Bioengineering at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and co-founder of BioDesign Israel.
His work has advanced human disease modeling and led to some of the first human-on-chip systems for drug development and precision medicine. His research contributed to breakthroughs in liver disease, viral infections, cardiac toxicity, and metabolic disorders, enabling new approaches to pharmaceutical safety testing and therapeutic discovery.
Nahmias is a recipient of the Rappaport Prize in Biomedical Research, the Kaye Innovation Award, and the Rosetrees Trust Prize. He is a Fellow of both the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM). He also founded several biotechnology companies, including Tissue Dynamics, Believer Meats, ATIUM Biologics, and Phase 0 Labs.
Founded in 2010, the National Academy of Inventors aims to promote academic innovation, foster collaboration, inspire future generations of inventors, and raise awareness of the societal impact of invention and discovery. The academy currently includes more than 2,200 Fellows and over 750 Senior Members worldwide.
The 2026 induction ceremony took place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, home of the annual Academy Awards ceremony.