UK’s Palli named 2025 National Academy of Inventors Fellow

A University of Kentucky scientist, internationally recognized for his research on RNA interference technology that kills insect pests and fights insecticide resistance, has been named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).

Subba Reddy Palli, Ph.D. is Kentucky’s state entomologist, entomology department chair and plant pathology department interim chair at the UK Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.

The NAI Fellowship is the highest professional distinction awarded solely to inventors, and this year’s class is comprised of 169 distinguished academic and institutional inventors in the United States. The full list of 2025 fellows is online.

“Dr. Subba Reddy Palli embodies the core spirit of innovation we strive to support at the University of Kentucky,” said Matthew Upton, director of technology commercialization at UK Innovate. “His pioneering research in insect molecular biology and the engineering of inducible gene-expression systems has resulted in an impressive portfolio of patented technologies and commercial-ready concepts. Dr. Palli’s work demonstrates how Kentucky-based academic research can modernize pest control, enable agricultural biotechnology applications and fuel scientific advancement more broadly. We congratulate Dr. Palli on being named an NAI Fellow and appreciate his long-standing commitment to advancing innovation that directly benefits society.”

Palli is one of The Bill Gatton Foundation Distinguished Professors and serves as director of the One Health Initiative, launching the One Health Center in 2025 and spearheading two One Health Symposia to date. Palli also served as the co-director of CAMTech, the Center for Arthropod Management Technologies, a National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC).  

With 28 patents resulting from his work, Palli’s research includes insect physiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, endocrinology, toxicology and genomics. His current focus is mechanisms and applications of RNA interference; epigenetic, hormonal and nutritional regulation of growth, development and reproduction; and molecular analysis of insecticide resistance.

Palli’s collaborative research in One Health — based on the fundamental understanding that the health of people, animals and ecosystems are intricately linked and interdependent — focuses on the surveillance, speciation and diagnostics of disease vectors, including ticks and mosquitoes. He is involved in a collaborative study with Southeast Center for Agricultural Health and Injury Prevention studying the distribution of medically relevant ticks throughout the state of Kentucky.

Palli’s laboratory is also involved in studying critical physiological processes that result in death of an insect, such as molting, diapause, metamorphosis and apoptosis. Studying these processes at the molecular level will lead to the identification of targets for pest and disease vector control.

“I am humbled and honored by this recognition,” said Palli. “I’m grateful to the past and present members of my team, colleagues within my department, my college at UK and other institutions. This award reflects the innovation and passion for scientific research of the people I have worked with over the years. Coming from a farming family and having experience in industrial research and development, I always think about the end products of my research and how they can help people. Receiving this award is meaningful because inventions and their use in product development are key factors in choosing the winners.”

“Dr. Palli’s groundbreaking work in RNA-interference and insect genomics is advancing safer, more effective pest-management solutions,” said Laura Stephenson, Ph.D., dean of the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and vice president for land-grant engagement. “His election as an NAI Fellow reflects not only scientific excellence but also UK’s land-grant commitment to advancing agriculture, public health and community wellbeing throughout the Commonwealth."

The 2025 cohort of NAI Fellows represents 127 universities, government agencies and research institutions, across 40 U.S. states. Together, the 2025 class hold more than 5,300 U.S. patents.

Since its founding 2012, the NAI Fellows program has grown to include 2,253 distinguished researchers and innovators, who hold over 86,000 U.S. patents and 20,000 licensed technologies. Their innovations have generated an estimated $3.8 trillion in revenue and 1.4 million jobs. 

“NAI Fellows are a driving force within the innovation ecosystem, and their contributions across scientific disciplines are shaping the future of our world,” said Paul R. Sanberg, NAI president. “We are thrilled to welcome this year’s class of Fellows to the Academy. They are truly an impressive cohort, and we look forward to honoring them at our 15th Annual Conference in Los Angeles next year.”

Palli will be honored and presented his medal by a senior official of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) at the NAI 15th Annual Conference on June 4, 2026, in Los Angeles, California.

Palli joins six other UK faculty members who have been inducted as NAI Fellows since 2012: Dibakar Bhattacharyya, Ph.D., Yang-Tse Cheng, Ph.D., and Kunlei Liu, Ph.D., in the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering, and Joseph Chappell, Ph.D., Linda Dwoskin, Ph.D., and Chang-Guo Zhan, Ph.D., in the College of Pharmacy.