Draper’s Marc Weinberg Named 2024 National Academy of Inventors Fellow
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Marc S. Weinberg, Ph.D., and Laboratory Fellow, Device Physics & Engineering at Draper, was named a Fellow in the 2024 class of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).
The NAI Fellows Program recognizes academic inventors who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society. Election to NAI Fellow status is the highest professional distinction accorded solely to academic inventors.
"We are thrilled that Marc was recognized for his accomplishments as an engineer and inventor. His breadth of knowledge highlights his versatility and his ability to address complex engineering challenges from multiple angles," said Anthony Kourepenis, vice president of Engineering at Draper. "In addition to his brilliant work as an engineer and inventor, Marc also is a collaborative and inspiring colleague. His ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and mentor junior engineers is commendable. There are hundreds of engineers whose accomplishment trace back to the mentoring provided by Marc throughout his outstanding career."
Weinberg served as the chief engineer and lead designer for the first monolithic silicon micromachined gyroscope, a milestone in the history of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and a transformational invention with tremendous impact across a wide range of applications. Advanced MEMS gyroscopes can now be found in cell phones, automobiles, game consoles, and other consumer electronics.
Weinberg's work spans chemical sensors, balance prostheses, photovoltaics, and atomic clocks, which have led to startups or commercial products, and high-performance military accelerometers and voltage references. His expertise focuses on relating instrument parameters and tolerances to measured performance, multi-axis vibration sensing, and instrument modeling and dynamics.
“I am honored by the National Academy of Inventors recognition,” said Weinberg. “Given the highly technical nature of these inventions, I acknowledge Draper’s superb engineers, scientists, technicians and managers for completing these projects.”
An AIAA Associate Fellow and licensed Professional Engineer, Weinberg holds 65 U.S. patents. He earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, where he was a National Science Foundation Fellow.
Weinberg is a Laboratory Fellow, the highest level on the Draper technical scale, and the third Draper Fellow recognized by the NAI, joining Leonard Polizzotto (2012) and Jeffrey Borenstein (2014).
According to the NAI, this year’s 170 NAI fellows hail from 135 research universities, governmental and non-profit research institutions worldwide with work spanning a wide range of disciplines. Together they hold over 5,000 issued U.S. patents comprising innovations that will make significant tangible societal and economic impact now, and in the future.
Founded in 2012, the NAI program has grown to include 2,068 researchers and innovators, who hold over 68,000 U.S. patents and 20,000 licensed technologies. The 2024 Class of Fellows will be honored and presented their medals by a senior official of the United States Patent and Trademark Office at the NAI 14th Annual Meeting on June 26, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia.
Released December 19, 2024
