Dr. Emil Jovanov, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), has been elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), the academy’s highest distinction for academic inventors.

Election as an NAI Fellow recognizes inventors who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on the quality of life, economic development and welfare of society. Jovanov is the second NAI Fellow at UAH, joining Dr. David Puleo, UAH provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, to hold the honor, as well as the first from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE).

The researcher is internationally recognized as the originator of the concept of wireless body area networks for health monitoring and as a pioneer in the field of wearable health technologies. His research has helped shape modern approaches to continuous health monitoring and has influenced advancements in medical devices, sensor systems and connected health applications.

“Dr. Emil Jovanov’s career exemplifies the very best of academic innovation and impact,” says Dr. Aleksandar Milenkovic, ECE department chair and professor. “His pioneering work in wearable health technologies and wireless body area networks has helped shape an entire field, while his dedication to students, colleagues and the university has left an enduring legacy at UAH. His election as a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors is a fitting recognition of a career defined by vision, rigor and service.”

Jovanov’s research interests include wearable health monitoring, the Internet of Things (IoT), wireless and sensor networks, ubiquitous and mobile computing and biomedical signal processing. Over the course of his career, he has authored more than 230 peer-reviewed papers, contributed 20 book chapters and holds fifteen U.S. patents.

The UAH researcher received his Dipl. Ing. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering and his Ph.D. in computer engineering from the University of Belgrade. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and has held numerous leadership roles within the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS), including serving on its Conference Editorial Board and as Theme 7 Editor for Biomedical Sensors and Wearable Systems. He has also served as an associate editor for several leading IEEE journals and as an editorial board member for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback.

In recognition of his contributions to research, education and innovation, Jovanov has received numerous honors, including the 2017 IEEE Outstanding Educator Award, the 2014 Innovator of the Year Award and the 2020 Outstanding Senior Faculty Member award during Huntsville Engineers Week.

After serving over 27 years at UAH, Dr. Jovanov recently announced his retirement as well, effective Jan. 1, 2026.

“It has been an incredible privilege to spend nearly three decades at UAH – teaching, mentoring students, conducting research and working alongside dedicated colleagues and staff,” Jovanov says. “I am deeply grateful to my students, collaborators and friends at UAH and around the world who have challenged, inspired and supported me over the years. Whatever I have been able to contribute has been possible because of you.”

As part of the NAI Fellowship, his name will be permanently displayed on the 2025 Fellows Plaque at the United States Patent and Trademark Office headquarters, and his election will be formally recorded in the 120th Congressional Record in 2026. He will be honored at the National Academy of Inventors’ 15th Annual Conference on June 4, 2026, in Los Angeles.

The National Academy of Inventors comprises more than 4,600 individual members affiliated with over 260 institutions worldwide. NAI Fellows represent a distinguished group of innovators whose work spans every major field of discovery and whose inventions have generated significant societal and economic impact.