Northeastern NAI Honors Innovators in AI and Healthcare
Northeastern’s National Academy of Inventors (NAI) chapter honored ECE University Distinguished and William Lincoln Smith Professor Vincent Harris with the Innovation Impact Award; Justin Hayes, PhD’25, chemical engineering, with the Student Innovation Impact Award; and BioE Assistant Research Professor Saeed Amal with the Emerging Visionary Award, for their significant contributions to innovation, particularly in AI-driven healthcare.
Innovation Impact Award 2024: Vincent Harris
Vincent Harris, University Distinguished and William Lincoln Smith Professor of electrical and computer engineering, was honored for his decades-long contributions to radio frequency (RF) materials and devices, including advanced technologies for next-generation communications. His research laid the foundation for Metamagnetics, a Northeastern spinout company that was named High-Tech Manufacturer of the Year by the Massachusetts Legislative Manufacturing Caucus in 2018.
Harris used the moment to acknowledge the broader community that enables innovation. “Whenever you see someone get accolades like this, I want you to think about how many hundreds of people likely contributed to and enabled their success,” he said. “Too often, people forget to recognize that.”
Student Innovation Impact Award 2024: Justin Hayes
Justin Hayes, CEO and co-founder of Concordance Therapeutics, Inc. and PhD’25, chemical engineering, received the 2024 Student Innovation Impact Award. Since joining Northeastern, Hayes has focused on developing health technologies aimed at improving patient outcomes. In 2023, he secured a provisional patent for engineered probiotic technologies designed to control metabolite levels, with applications in gut and skin diseases. Later that year, he co-founded Concordance Therapeutics and filed an international PCT patent, playing an active role in drafting claims and collaborating with IP counsel.
Under Hayes’ leadership, the company has made significant early progress, including active fundraising and product development. His work reflects a clear commitment to translating research into scalable, life-saving solutions.
Emerging Visionary Award – AI in Healthcare 2024: Saeed Amal
Saeed Amal, assistant research professor of bioengineering, received the Emerging Visionary Award for his groundbreaking work at the intersection of AI and precision medicine. His research applies deep learning, natural language processing, and image analysis to improve healthcare outcomes, with a particular focus on cancer and cardiovascular disease. His recent software IP has been successfully licensed, and deployment of his AI-driven tools for solid tumor treatment is expected within the year.
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