The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) has recently announced the inclusion of two distinguished faculty members from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in its prestigious 2026 class of Senior Members. Cesar Bandera, who holds the position of Master Teacher and Leir Endowed Chair for Entrepreneurship, along with Sara C. Zapico, an assistant professor of forensic science, have both been recognized for their profound contributions to technology innovation and academic research. This year’s cohort represents an impressive assembly of 230 emerging inventors hailing from 82 member institutions, collectively holding over 2,000 U.S. patents, marking it as the largest Senior Member class in NAI’s history.
Senior Membership in the National Academy of Inventors is a distinction that honors faculty, scientists, and administrative leaders who exemplify a commitment to fostering innovation within their academic communities. These individuals not only contribute groundbreaking research but also dedicate efforts toward translating scientific discoveries into technologies with tangible societal and economic impact. The induction of the 2026 Senior Members will take place at the NAI’s 15th Annual Conference scheduled for June 1–4, 2026, in Los Angeles, California, further amplifying this celebration of academic ingenuity.
Cesar Bandera’s work is situated at the crossroads of technology innovation, entrepreneurship education, and mobile health solutions. Trained as an electrical engineer, Bandera has demonstrated the rare ability to bridge technical expertise with entrepreneurial acumen. His teaching portfolio is expansive, having delivered instruction across every entrepreneurship course offered at NJIT’s Martin Tuchman School of Management multiple times. Beyond the classroom, Bandera spearheads NJIT’s Tech Venture Support Program, facilitating the translation of academic research into viable commercial ventures driven by both students and faculty, thereby advancing meaningful societal impact.
Bandera’s research pursuits are notably translational, incorporating cutting-edge innovations that have earned him four U.S. patents alongside prestigious accolades such as the NASA Space Act Award. His ventures extend into the mobile health sector, where, as a founding partner of a company serving emergency response communities as well as federal and international health agencies, his technologies have garnered recognition from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This includes accolades highlighting his enterprise as a Small Business Success Story, emphasizing the real-world applicability and societal benefits of his technological innovations.
One particularly noteworthy application of Bandera’s work is in augmented reality-based training tools designed for hazardous materials response. This technology, which enhances emergency responders’ preparedness and situational awareness, is actively utilized in over one hundred facilities across the United States. Such hands-on, technology-enhanced training solutions underscore the potential of augmented reality to revolutionize safety protocols and training methodologies in high-risk environments, ensuring faster, safer responses to hazardous incidents.
Further amplifying his influence, Bandera contributes significantly to national research and development policy. Both the NIH and the Department of Defense have cited his accomplishments in reports submitted to Congress, underscoring his role in shaping federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) initiatives. His involvement demonstrates the integration of academic research with governmental innovation frameworks, highlighting the symbiotic relationship between research institutions and policy ecosystems in fostering technological progress.
Bandera’s commitment to entrepreneurship is reflected in his role as a National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps instructor, where he educates and mentors entrepreneurial scientists and engineers seeking to translate their research innovations into market-ready products. Leveraging his expertise, he also plays a pivotal role in NJIT’s Accelerating Research Translation (ART) initiative, an NSF-funded program designed to bolster the regional innovation ecosystem. Through these engagements, Bandera is actively shaping the next generation of entrepreneurial researchers, reinforcing the critical bridge between academia and industry.
Complementing Bandera’s achievements, Sara C. Zapico has emerged as a rising trailblazer in the realm of forensic science. Holding an assistant professorship within NJIT’s Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science, and simultaneously serving as a research associate at the Smithsonian Institution, Zapico embodies interdisciplinary scholarship. She spearheads NJIT’s Interdisciplinary Forensics and Biomedical Sciences Laboratory (ForenBioS), where her research integrates biochemical, epigenetic, and molecular methodologies to push forward forensic science capabilities, an area of study crucial for modern criminal and humanitarian investigations.
Zapico’s research addresses foundational challenges in forensic science such as estimating age-at-death, determining post-mortem intervals, identifying body fluids, and extracting DNA from severely degraded samples. Notably, she is internationally recognized for pioneering molecular age-estimation techniques by analyzing DNA methylation patterns in dental tissues. Her co-invention of a U.S. patent focusing on biochemical methods for accurately estimating age-at-death has the potential to significantly improve identification accuracy in forensic contexts, particularly for adult remains where traditional techniques often lack precision.
Her scholarly output includes numerous high-impact publications covering topics such as methylation biomarkers, forensic decomposition ‘omics’, biochemical aging processes, and DNA recovery from challenging substrates. The translational applications of her research are profound, directly supporting forensic laboratories, medical examiner offices, and humanitarian organizations tasked with identifying remains under complex conditions. This work contributes to establishing a more robust scientific framework underlying forensic identification processes globally.
Moreover, Zapico has authored and contributed to a number of books and chapters, including the recent Wiley publication “Burnt Human Remains: Recovery, Analysis, and Interpretation” (2023), which serves as a critical resource for forensic experts working with thermally altered human remains. Her active engagement in leading forensic conferences further disseminates her pioneering methodologies and findings to a broad network of forensic scientists and practitioners, stimulating interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration.
Beyond her direct forensic research, Zapico’s collaborations extend to interdisciplinary studies that explore biomarkers connected to environmental exposures and public health implications. Her partnership with the Smithsonian Institution enhances the scope of her research and positions her as a key innovator advancing the scientific foundations and application of modern forensic identification methods. This elevated stature within the forensic community underscores her role in driving forward evidence-based investigative techniques.
The growth of the NAI’s Senior Member program, itself launched under the guidance of NAI Board Member and former NSF director Sethuaman Panchanathan, is demonstrative of a global commitment to celebrating academic inventors and fostering environments conducive to innovation. With the inclusion of Cesar Bandera and Sara C. Zapico in this expanding network—now numbering 945 Senior Members with over 11,000 U.S. patents collectively—the academy continues to recognize and cultivate the transformative impact of research and invention at higher education institutions worldwide.
Panchanathan remarks on the program’s trajectory with admiration, noting how it highlights the dedication of member institutions in championing inventive faculty. The recognition provided by the NAI not only grants these innovators well-deserved acknowledgment but also strategically supports the development of innovation ecosystems that interlink campuses with broader economic and societal frameworks. This alignment underscores the essential role of academic institutions in the national and global innovation landscape.
Cesar Bandera and Sara C. Zapico’s recognitions underscore NJIT’s role as a hub of cutting-edge research and innovation. From technology commercialization and augmented reality applications in emergency response to transformative advancements in forensic science, their work exemplifies the power of interdisciplinary approaches and translational research in solving complex, real-world problems. As they prepare for their induction into the NAI, their achievements set a compelling example for communities where science, engineering, and entrepreneurship converge.
Subject of Research: Technology innovation and entrepreneurship education; forensic science, including molecular forensic methodologies and forensic age estimation.
News Publication Date: Not explicitly stated; related to NAI 2026 Senior Member induction.
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Image Credits: NJIT
Keywords: Science careers, forensic analysis, electrical engineering, entrepreneurship
