Joseph C. Salamone, Ph.D.

Joe Salamone, Ph.D., an adjunct professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and a member of the department’s External Advisory Committee, has been elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).

Salamone is a leading pioneer in the development of novel biomaterials for ophthalmology and for wound care, having commercialized 45 products in rigid and soft contact lenses, silicone hydrogel contact lenses, contact lens care solutions and cleaners, intraocular lens materials, controlled drug delivery, and spray-on, non-stinging liquid bandages for human and veterinary use. He is actively involved in the development of cell-compatible substrates for wound healing and is currently working on research with Professor Laura Suggs in this area.

Salamone has 206 U.S. patents and patent applications and 764 international patents and applications. In addition to his role at The University of Texas at Austin, he is a professor emeritus of the University of Massachusetts Lowell, the Chief Scientific Officer of Rochal Industries, and the former VP of Research at Bausch and Lomb. He is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

Election to NAI Fellow status is a high professional distinction accorded to academic inventors who have demonstrated 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 the welfare of society.

The Department of Biomedical Engineering has appointed Dr. Joseph Salamone, a member of the prestigious National Academy of Engineering (NAE), as an adjunct professor for the 2012–2013 academic year.

Salamone is the Chief Scientific Officer of Rochal Industries in San Antonio, a professor emeritus at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, and the former Vice President of Research at Bausch & Lomb.

Salamone is an entrepreneur credited for his pioneering research in the field of solution properties of polyelectrolytes and their surfaces. He is also an acclaimed polymer chemist whose research has led to breakthroughs in contact lenses, wound dressings, and drug-release technologies

Joseph C. Salamone, chief scientific officer at Rochal Industries LLP, UTSA adjunct professor of Biomedical Engineering and professor emeritus of Chemistry and Polymer Science at the University of Massachusetts in Lowell, Mass., has been elected by his peers to become a Fellow in the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). The NAE is a member of the National Academies, which includes the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council.

“An invitation by one’s peers to join the National Academy of Engineering is one of the highest honors an engineer can receive,” said Mauli Agrawal, dean of the UTSA College of Engineering. “Dr. Salamone has made significant contributions in biomaterials, specifically in ophthalmology and wound healing. His election to the NAE reflects a dedicated life of academic and professional service.”