The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) selected eight University of Georgia (UGA) researchers, including Patrick Conner, as 2025 NAI Senior Members, surpassing its own record of five inductees set last year. UGA now has 24 Senior Members overall.
Conner, a professor of horticulture in the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, is recognized for leadership in pecan and muscadine grape breeding, which has led to significant commercial impact. He is a named inventor on eight issued U.S. patents for muscadine grapes, peach and pecan cultivars. His patented varieties have been licensed through 14 agreements, contributing more than $400,000 in royalty revenue.
NAI Background
NAI Senior Members are distinguished faculty, scientists and administrators who have demonstrated success in patents, licensing and commercialization. They develop technologies that have made, or have the potential to make, meaningful impacts on society.
“We are thrilled to celebrate these latest UGA elections to the country’s leading organization for groundbreaking inventors and innovators,” said Chris King, interim vice president for research. “Their dedication to translating research into tangible impact embodies the university’s land-grant mission and our commitment to serving society through innovation.”
Connor is the Research, Extension, and Instruction (REI) Coordinator for the Horticulture Department at the Tifton campus. He is the research leader of the University of Georgia’s pecan breeding program which was initiated in 1998. In 2004 he became the new leader of the UGA muscadine grape breeding program which has been in existence for over 100 years. While their breeding programs primarily revolve around the traditional fruit breeding methods of making crosses and evaluating seedlings, they also investigate the potential of molecular biology tools to make this process more efficient.
NAI Senior Members will be formally inducted on June 23-26 at the NAI annual meeting in Atlanta. A full list of NAI Senior members is available on the website.
Source: UGA Today