Keith Hearon, PhD, is bringing home the gold when it comes to researcher and inventor accolades. He was recently elected into the 鈥 a massive accomplishment and professional distinction.
He was shocked when he got the news.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great honor,鈥 Hearon said. 鈥淚’m really grateful for both the nominators, Professor Bob Langer from MIT and Professor Mark Grinstaff from Boston University that nominated me for this award. I think having an amazing group of mentors that were part of my PhD training, my postdoctoral training and now business partners that are also excellent academic mentors, have heavily influenced me and created a lot of opportunities.鈥
How it started
An Augusta native, Hearon attended Westminster Schools of Augusta K-12, then received his bachelor鈥檚 degree in materials science and engineering from Georgia Tech and his PhD in biomedical engineering from Texas A&M University. He did his postdoctoral work at MIT.
As one of 170 inventors from around the world chosen as a 2024 NAI Fellow, Hearon has made his mark on the biomedical engineering field. His class boasts more than 5,000 U.S. patents combined, and about 30 are his.
His passion for problem-solving sparked when he invented a shape-changing plastic for medical use during his years as an undergrad.
That invention led him to create more materials and products, and he eventually co-founded and became the chief executive officer of three startup companies: (acquired 2019), (acquired 2022) and (venture-backed 2023).
He鈥檚 had a wildly successful career, and he鈥檚 only 37.
鈥淚t鈥檚 fun solving problems through inventions and materials; chemistry is kind of what gets my mind moving,鈥 Hearon said. 鈥淎nd then working with people that enjoy solving problems. I couldn’t really imagine doing anything else, so nothing that I do feels like work.鈥

Inventions and The Incubator
Poly6 Technologies focused on aerospace 3D printing materials, and Virex Health focused on rapid medical diagnostics. Both have since been acquired, and Nuceptive Labs is Hearon鈥檚 current project.
He鈥檚 developing a super-sticky medical adhesive product that doesn鈥檛 hurt to pull off skin, and he鈥檚 doing it at 黑料正能量鈥檚 also known as The Incubator.
鈥淚 think this is one of the best startup incubators in the world,鈥 Hearon said. 鈥淚’ve been a part of a number of universities, and what I really like about this one is its capacity and its resources are highly conducive to a limited number of startup companies achieving very big and impactful things in a reasonable time frame.鈥
The Incubator, located in the Interdisciplinary Research Center on AU鈥檚 Health Sciences Campus, is a 14,000-square-foot facility complete with wet labs, offices, shared equipment and more 鈥 allowing startup companies to develop their products at a more affordable rate.
鈥淲e have opted to keep our pricing lower because we’re in a smaller market, and we鈥檙e erring on the side of having the space full as much as possible,鈥 said Chris McKinney, DA, associate vice president for innovation commercialization at AU.

He said the 20-year-old facility is somewhat rare.
鈥淎 lot of university wet lab incubators are not on campus; they’re sometimes a distance away. I’ve been to several schools where they were 10 miles away. Ours is kind of unique because we sit right in the middle of the research enterprise among other research labs,鈥 McKinney said.
This proximity helps with faculty recruitment and retention.
鈥淪ome faculty wanted to do this kind of startup in a wet lab environment. If they couldn’t have done it here, they might have gone to a different university,鈥 McKinney said.
Hearon conducting his experiments and research in an 黑料正能量 lab benefits the community in multiple ways.
鈥淚 think it’s a great match because you’ve got someone who’s done this before and is going to keep doing it. We not only love hosting him here because he’s just a terrific person but also because he’s a great example for our faculty and others of what you can do,鈥 McKinney said. 鈥淎nd the fact he’s here on campus just like the other companies means you’re interacting with people, other faculty, other people at AU. So, it’s just that kind of intermingling that becomes important, as well.鈥

What’s next
For Hearon鈥檚 mentors and NAI nominators, this achievement is a full-circle moment.
鈥淚鈥檓 very proud of what a terrific entrepreneur and inventor Keith has become, and his work as an inventor across three different materials startup companies highly distinguishes him from his peers,鈥 said Bob Langer, ScD, Hearon鈥檚 postdoctoral adviser at MIT and co-founder of Moderna.
鈥淜eith is a great business partner and knows polymer networks very well,鈥 added Mark Grinstaff, PhD, a biomedical engineering instructor and Hearon鈥檚 colleague. 鈥淜eith is here to stay, and it鈥檚 been a tremendous experience to work with him on a number of companies and scientific projects.鈥
As for Hearon鈥檚 next steps, he鈥檚 working on getting investors to put $7 million more into Nuceptive Labs to complete the development phase.
He鈥檚 driven by the desire to positively impact the world through his inventions, and he doesn’t plan on stopping any time soon.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important to have a societal impact motivation, and nothing that I’ve worked on has been lacking in potential for societal impact,鈥 he said. 鈥淎nd so every decision I make related to a research project or a startup company is driven by solving a problem in society that could help people in an economically sustainable manner.鈥
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