Matthew Barth, a longtime UC Riverside engineering professor whose work has shaped global transportation systems and clean mobility innovations, has been named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).
Barth is among 185 inventors named to the Academy’s 2025 Class of Fellows, which includes researchers from 127 universities, government labs, and research institutions across 40 U.S. states.
The announcement was made Dec. 11 by the NAI, which recognizes individuals who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation by creating or facilitating inventions that have had a tangible impact on society.
Barth is a distinguished professor and associate dean for research and graduate education in UCR’s Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering. Together with his research colleagues, he has led pioneering efforts to integrate engineering, data science, and environmental sustainability into real-world transportation systems. His work on vehicle emissions, intelligent transportation technologies, and shared mobility platforms has earned global recognition—and numerous patents.
“It’s rewarding to see work that starts in a lab at UCR grow into something that improves lives and protects the environment,” said Barth, who holds the Esther and Daniel Hays Endowed Chair and is a faculty member in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
NAI Fellows are selected for their contributions to innovation in fields as diverse as quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and regenerative medicine. Together, the 2025 class of Fellows hold more than 5,300 U.S. patents.
Barth’s recent work has focused on practical, scalable solutions to improve transportation energy efficiency and make vehicle travel more sustainable. In May 2025, he helped launch the nation’s only hydrogen-powered carshare program, based in Riverside, which offers low-emission mobility to underserved communities while serving as a research platform for sustainable travel technologies.
He also played a key role in developing systems that optimize vehicle route patterns to reduce fuel use and emissions and led international collaborations on eco-routing and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications.
The National Academy of Inventors, founded in 2012, now includes over 2,250 distinguished researchers who collectively hold more than 86,000 U.S. patents. Past Fellows have included Nobel laureates, recipients of the National Medals of Science and Technology & Innovation, and members of the National Academies. Their work has generated an estimated $3.8 trillion in economic value and 1.4 million jobs.
“NAI Fellows are a driving force within the innovation ecosystem,” NAI President Paul R. Sanberg said in a statement. “Their contributions across scientific disciplines are shaping the future of our world.”
The 2025 Fellows will be formally inducted and awarded medals by a senior official from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office during the NAI’s 15th Annual Conference in Los Angeles on June 4, 2026.