Hui “Helen” Li, Ph.D., poses in her lab at the Center for Advanced Power Systems (CAPS), one of the centers with FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, in Tallahassee, Florida on December 4, 2024. Li has been elected to the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) Fellows program. (Scott Holstein/FAMU-FSU College of Engineering)
FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Professor Hui “Helen” Li has been named to the 2024 Class of National Academy of Inventors Fellows.
Li is the FSU Provost McKenzie Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and for the past 20 years has led power electronics research at Florida State University’s influential Center for Advanced Power Systems, or CAPS. She is a renowned expert in the power electronics field with a worldwide reputation for electronic devices.
“Professor Li exemplifies the highest standards of research at FSU,” said Vice President for Research Stacey S. Patterson. “Her commitment to innovation has not only contributed to the academic community but also brought tangible benefits to the broader public. I’d like to congratulate her on being named a National Academy of Inventors Fellow.”
The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) Fellows Program was established to highlight academic inventors who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society.
Li joins twelve other FSU faculty members—including FSU President Richard McCullough—as fellows of the NAI.
“It’s really rewarding to be recognized by the NAI,” Li said. “I’m very interested in both research and applying that research, so this honor is especially rewarding. I want to thank the many graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and fellow faculty members who have been hugely supportive of this work, and FSU for its support in helping to patent technology and bring it out of the lab.”
Li’s research focuses on power electronics, a field of electrical engineering concerned with controlling and converting electrical power using electronic devices. She has developed numerous devices that make power electronics safer, more reliable and more efficient. Her work has applications in transportation, the electric power grid, solar power, energy distribution algorithms and more.
She has successfully brought her work from the lab to the marketplace, receiving 31 patents (with five more pending) for key technologies such as direct current power converters and renewable energy and battery products. Her patents have been cited by numerous companies in their commercial patent filings.
She has successfully brought her work from the lab to the marketplace, receiving 31 patents (with five more pending) for key technologies such as direct current power converters and renewable energy and battery products. Her patents have been cited by numerous companies in their commercial patent filings.
“Professor Li is driven to see her work have a tangible, positive impact on society,” said Suvranu De, dean of the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. “That is evident in her research and in her patents that bring solutions to challenging engineering problems. Professor Li’s innovative approach to her work and her dedication to solving real-world problems inspire both colleagues and students.”
The NAI Fellow program has 1,898 Fellows worldwide representing more than 300 prestigious universities and governmental and non-profit research institutes. The Fellows hold more than 63,000 issued U.S. patents, which have generated over 13,000 licensed technologies, 3,200 companies and created more than 1 million jobs. In addition, over $3 trillion in revenue has been generated based on NAI Fellow discoveries.
The 2024 Fellows hail from 135 research universities, governmental and non-profit research institutions worldwide and their work spans across various disciplines. They are not only phenomenal researchers holding prestigious honors and distinctions such as the Nobel Prize, U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation and National Medal of Science, and membership to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, but are also incredible inventors who collectively hold over 5,000 issued U.S. patents and whose innovations are making significant tangible societal and economic impacts today and will well into the future.
“This year's Class of NAI Fellows represents a truly impressive caliber of inventors. These individuals are tackling real-world issues and creating solutions that propel us into the future. Through their work, they are making significant contributions to science, creating lasting societal impact, and growing the economy,” said Paul Sanberg, president of the NAI. “NAI Fellows as a whole are a driving force of innovation, generating crucial advancements across scientific disciplines and creating tangible impacts as they move their technologies from lab to marketplace. We are excited to welcome and honor this newest Class of Fellows during our 2025 Annual Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. I can think of no better group that exemplifies our conference theme, Forward Together: Innovating with Purpose.”
Li will be inducted at the 14th NAI Annual Conference, which will be held June 23-26, 2025, in Atlanta.
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