UGA has 19 faculty members who have received this honor since 2012
University of Georgia professors John Ruter and Yajun Yan have been elected Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors, bringing UGA’s total to 19 faculty members who have received this honor since 2012. It is the seventh consecutive year the university has had faculty elected.
Election to NAI Fellowship is the highest professional distinction accorded to academic inventors. Fellows are recognized for prolific innovation that has had tangible impacts on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society.
“The election of John Ruter and Yajun Yan as National Academy of Inventors Fellows highlights the depth and breadth of innovation taking place at the University of Georgia,” said Chris King, interim vice president for research. “Their work reflects the university’s commitment to translating discovery into practical solutions that benefit society, strengthen our partnerships with industry and create meaningful impact that’s measured both in dollars and enhanced quality of life for people in Georgia and beyond.”
John Ruter
Ruter, the Allan Armitage Endowed Professor of Horticulture in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and director of the UGA Trial Gardens, is a globally recognized leader in ornamental plant breeding and development. He develops novel ornamental cultivars through advanced breeding techniques focused on improved plant aesthetics, resilience and sustainability. His work has resulted in 30 issued U.S. plant patents, with additional domestic and international patents pending, all of which have been licensed to industry partners. These cultivars have generated nearly $750,000 in royalties and are widely used across the ornamental horticulture industry.
photo by Nikki Mottley/UGA Graduate School, 2022
“Becoming a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors is quite an honor,” Ruter said.
“I enjoy developing and patenting new ornamental plants and seeing the positive impact that they have on the nursery and landscape industries. Gratitude is indeed expressed to those staff, graduate students and student workers who have helped me over the years, as well as support from the Innovation Gateway at UGA.”
Along with inventing, Ruter is engaged with mentoring graduate students and is involved in educating community through outreach programs like Experience UGA, the Trial Gardens and other cooperative extension programs. Ruter is a Fellow of the American Society for Horticultural Science and the Southern Region International Plant Propagators’ Society and has received numerous honors including the Julian C. Miller Senior Distinguished Research Award from the American Society for Horticultural Science, the UGA Inventor of the Year Award, the Plant Licensing Innovation Award from UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the D.W. Brooks Faculty Award for Excellence in Research.
