H. Vincent Poor, dean of Princeton University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, has been named a 2015 fellow of the National Academy of Inventors in recognition of his fundamental contributions to wireless technology.

Poor is an internationally recognized expert in communications, networking and signal processing, with applications notably in wireless communications networks, social networks and “smart grid” (efforts to improve the efficiency and security of electric power distribution). He holds 14 U.S. patents and six international patents, which have contributed to an industry-wide effort to build the third and subsequent generations of mobile communications technology, among other wireless technologies.

The NAI lauded Poor as having a “highly prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and welfare of society.”

Poor joins a fellowship class of 582 scientific leaders from research universities and government and non-profit institutes, including 27 Nobel Laureates, who together account for 5,368 issued U.S. patents. He will be inducted April 15 as part of the Fifth Annual Conference of the National Academy of Inventors to be held at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria, VA.

“I think this recognition really validates an often under-appreciated aspect of what we do here at the University,” said Poor, adding that his election to NAI highlights the importance of patenting, an aspect of academic research that receives less attention than published work in journal articles and books. He noted his inventions were a collaborative effort with graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, as well as researchers at other universities and in the private sector.

“I think this recognition really validates a research career, which is one of the nicest things for an academic like me,” he said.

Poor earned a doctorate in electrical engineering and computer science from Princeton in 1977 and joined the Princeton faculty in 1990. Among many honors, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2001, the National Academy of Sciences in 2011, the Royal Society-the United Kingdom’s national academy of science-in 2014, and the World Academy of Sciences earlier this month.