Two Northwestern professors were named fellows of the National Academy of Inventors for their biological research.

Profs. Thomas Meade and Joseph Moskal were nominated by their peers and named 2017 fellows for their contributions to numerous areas including “innovative discovery and technology” and having a “significant impact on society,” according to a news release.

Fellows are inducted for making “a tangible impact on quality of life … and the welfare of society,” according to the academy’s website, and must have a university or other academic affiliation and their names on a U.S. patent.

Meade is the Eileen M. Foell Professor of Cancer Research in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine and the McCormick School of Engineering. He conducts research in cancer imaging and has founded four biotechnology companies that develop handheld devices for protein and DNA detection, among other things.

Moskal is a professor of biomedical engineering at McCormick and the founder of Naurex, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company for drugs that treat depression and other central nervous system disorders. His research has helped develop antidepressants that are currently in clinical trials.

According to the news release, 173 other people were also named as fellows last week, bringing the NAI’s total number of fellows to 757.

Both Meade and Moskal will be inducted in April at NAI’s 2017 annual conference in Boston.

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