Chad Mirkin '86
Northwestern chemistry professor holds more than 70 patents
February 12, 2010
Chad Mirkin '86A world-renowned nanotechnology expert and entrepreneur, Chad Mirkin ’86 holds more than 70 patents. For his pioneering work in developing highly sensitive diagnostic tools in medicine, Mirkin recently added the prestigious Lemelson-MIT Prize—the “Nobel Prize of invention”—to his collection of more than 50 national and international awards.
A former member of Dickinson’s board of trustees, Mirkin is professor of chemistry and engineering at Northwestern University and director of Northwestern’s International Institute of Nanotechnology. He also serves on President Barack Obama’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
Mirkin’s expertise in nanotechnology includes nano-scale manufacturing and applications to biology and medicine. He is known especially for two key inventions: the nanoparticle-based FDA-approved Verigene IDTM system and Dip-Pen Nanolithography, an ultra-high-resolution molecule-based printing technique.
“We started with two, and we now have 350 inventions,” he says. “It’s a really intoxicating drug—to be able to discover something that nobody else has discovered before.”
Additional Information
Chad Mirkin '86 Receives Lemelson-MIT Prize (June 2009)
Chad Mirkin Named to President Obama’s Science Panel (June 2009)