UTSA contributes to UT System’s No. 3 ranking on hailed Top 100 list for R&D

JUNE 5, 2024 — UTSA researchers secured 10 patents in 2023, contributing to The University of Texas (UT) System’s No. 3 ranking on a recent assessment by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). Published annually, the Top 100 U.S. Universities Granted Utility Patents ranks universities by the number of patents issued to their faculty within a calendar year.

The ranking serves to highlight U.S. universities that play a large role in advancing innovation and invention in the United States. This marks the second consecutive year that the UT System has held third place in this ranking.

“Achieving this ranking in 2022 and maintaining our position in 2023 is a demonstration of the sheer ingenuity and momentum of our community of researchers and inventors,” said JoAnn Browning, UTSA interim vice president for research. “The UT System is a powerhouse for research and development, and I am immensely proud to be a part of an ecosystem that provides researchers with the tools and support to innovate relentlessly.”

“Achieving this ranking in 2022 and maintaining our position in 2023 is a demonstration of the sheer ingenuity and momentum of our community of researchers and inventors.”

Eugene John, UTSA Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design (Klesse College), was among the UTSA researchers who received a patent in 2023. The patent, titled Method and apparatus for an ultra low power VLSI implementation of the 128-bit AES algorithm using a novel approach to the shiftrow transformation, aims to improve the efficiency of Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), a widely used encryption algorithm.

AES was established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in 2001 to keep users’ data secure.

“Think of AES encryption as a super-secure lock for your digital information,” John said. “It's like having a secret box that only opens with a special key. AES uses this key — like a password — to scramble your data into a code that looks like gibberish to anyone without the key. AES is very strong and can use keys of different lengths, making it even harder to break. This patent is about an efficient way to implement AES algorithms.” John noted that he and his team anticipate that their novel approach “will have a significant industry impact.”

Other patents spanned a range of fields and topics, from deep learning to bioengineering to photovoltaics. The 10 patents issued to UTSA researchers in 2023 include:

Carlos Garcia, Tomas E Benavidez, Rena Bizios (Klesse College, biomedical engineering)
11,819,592 | Adsorption of proteins on conducting surfaces upon application of external potential

Kelly Nash (College of Sciences, physics and astronomy), Gregory Guisbiers, Humberto Herman Lara Villegas
11,825,847 | Antimicrobial coating comprising chalcogenide nano-particles capped by chitosan

Sos Agaian, Karen Panetta, Long Bao
11,615,559 | Methods and systems for human imperceptible computerized color transfer

Bing Dong, Zhaoxuan Li
11,545,830 | Systems and methods of hierarchical forecasting of solar photovoltaic energy production;

Aaron Benjamin Greenblatt, Sos S. Agaian
11,645,835 | Hypercomplex deep learning methods, architectures, and apparatus for multimodal small, medium, and large-scale data representation, analysis, and applications;

Alekhya Muthineni, Eugene John (Klesse College, electrical and computer engineering)
11,838,403 | Method and apparatus for an ultra low power VLSI implementation of the 128-bit AES algorithm using a novel approach to the shiftrow transformation

Tongping Liu, Sam Albert Silvestro, Hongyu Liu, Tianyi Liu
11,593,483 | Guarder: an efficient heap allocator with strongest and tunable security;

Lingqian Chang, R. Lyle Hood (Klesse College, mechanical engineering) Forhad Akhter
11,624,050 | Microneedle array electroporation system for cell transfection;

Tongping Liu, Hongyu Liu, Sam Albert Silvestro
11,599,445 | Watcher: precise and fully-automatic on-site failure diagnosis;

Banglin Chen, Rui-Biao Lin, Yanshu Shi
11,708,379 | Mechanochemical synthesis of metal-organic frameworks for molecular sieving and compositions and methods of use thereof

The NAI has published the Top 100 Worldwide Universities list since 2013. It introduced the Top 100 U.S. Universities ranking last year to complement the worldwide ranking and provide a more focused view of the national innovation landscape.

“As we look at the current and future state of innovation in our nation, we need to ensure that the U.S. is remaining competitive in the international innovation ecosystem,” said Paul R. Sanberg, president of the NAI. “Protecting intellectual property is a key component to this, and the Top 100 U.S. Universities list allows us to recognize and celebrate universities and their faculty, staff, and students who are not only innovating at high levels but taking the additional step of protecting their IP through patenting.” 

The UT System has ranked highly on the Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents lists in previous years. It held fourth place in 2020 and third place in 2021.

This year, NAI also launched the Top 60 Worldwide Non-profit Research Institutes and Government Agencies ranking to highlight the role non-profit research institutions and government agencies in advancing innovation around the world and driving the global economy. Together, these rankings aim to provide a comprehensive snapshot of intellectual property protection in the innovation ecosystem.

— Audrey Gray