College of

Engineering, Architecture and Technology

 

Oklahoma State University’s Dr. Rasim Guldiken, John Brammer Endowed Professor and school head for the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, has been elected to the National Academy of Inventors as a member of the 2025 class of Fellows — the highest professional distinction awarded to academic inventors in the United States. 

 

As the holder of 10 U.S. patents, Guldiken is honored for his record of innovation, his impact on technology and education, and his long-standing commitment to mentoring the next generation of inventors.  

 

 At OSU and the University of South Florida, Guldiken has explored traditional concepts from outside the box to advance technologies with broad societal benefits. Much of his patent portfolio reflects an important thread in his career: owing his success to his students.  

 

Students are listed as co-inventors on nine of his 10 patents, demonstrating his belief that innovation is most powerful when students are full partners in discovery. Many of those students have held, or now hold, competitive positions across the country, including at Neuralink, Blue Origin, Intel, Harvard and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.  

 

His early work at Georgia Tech contributed to the development of a breakthrough medical ultrasound transducer, the CMUT, now commercialized in nearly 20 products across seven companies. Since 2020, more than 100 issued patents have cited his and his students’ innovations, underscoring their continued influence in industry and research. 

 

In one of his innovations, he investigated reinforcing composites with glass and recycled plastics with one of his Ph.D. students, resulting in cost-competitive and more environmentally friendly structural elements. This innovation attracted significant national attention and recognition, including two U.S. patents, three TV appearances, 2nd place overall in Jabil’s Innovation Technology Challenge, a finalist for the 2022 Cade Prize and one of the six finalist teams for the “Defining the Future: Inventing for Tomorrow” session of the NAI 11th Annual Meeting among 250 member institutions. After graduating with his Ph.D., Guldiken’s student raised funds, founded his own startup, and is currently selling lumber alternatives made from recycled plastics to consumers. 

 

Guldiken said he hopes his selection as an NAI Fellow will further elevate OSU’s and Oklahoma’s visibility within the national innovation enterprise and inspire more collaborations across disciplines, including new partnerships with industry and federal agencies.  

 

His dedication to providing educational content is equally far-reaching. His online fluid mechanics and thermodynamics lectures have been viewed more than 1.6 million times and watched for 77,000 hours from 137 countries. These experiences have shaped his approach to teaching, emphasizing clear explanation, hands-on learning and real-world application.  

 

Guldiken’s commitment to mentorship extends beyond the research lab. As a school head, he is working to build an innovation-driven curriculum for nearly 1,500 MAE students. The initiative includes partnerships with Oklahoma industry and community organizations to encourage students to design minimum viable products with real commercial potential. He also supports the nomination of faculty for NAI Senior Member status, aiming to strengthen OSU’s culture of invention.  

 

NAI Fellows will be formally inducted in June 2026 at the Dolby Ballroom in Los Angeles.