Dec 28, 2008 — See News and Observer
Since arriving at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1990, a fresh-out-of-grad-school assistant professor, Joe DeSimone has become one of the nation's premier scientists -- the youngest member named to the National Academy of Engineering and, last summer, winner of the $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize, which many consider a step to the Nobel.
Along the way, he has founded companies, led the university into entrepreneurial ventures, received more than 100 U.S. and international patents, pulled in millions of dollars in federal grants and built a research empire poised to become a major player in the emerging field of nanotechnology.
The News and Observer named him the 2008 Tar Heel of the Year.
