Kurt H. Becker

Kurt H. Becker is currently Vice Dean for Research, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering and also a Professor of Applied Physics and of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. In his role at NYU Tandon, he oversees faculty research and directs initiatives aimed at facilitating the acceleration and commercialization of science and engineering breakthroughs by NYU Tandon faculty, postdocs, and students into new products, devices, and processes that will benefit society. Recently, he was also appointed Founding Director of the Institute for Invention, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship (IIIE) at NYU Tandon. The IIIE aims to empower the School’s faculty to become thought leaders in scholarly and educational activities around invention, Innovation, and entrepreneurship and educate its students to become innovative and entrepreneurial thinkers.

Becker received a Diplom in Physik (MS) degree and a Dr. rer. nat. (PhD) degree from the Universität des Saarlandes, Saarbrücken, Germany in 1978 and 1981, respectively. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and of the National Academy of Inventors. He received the Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award and the SASP Erwin Schrödinger Medal and he holds an honorary professorship from the Leopold Franzens Universität Innsbruck, Austria. As a physicist, he is known for his research into the properties of atmospheric-pressure microplasmas and their use in environmental, biological, and biomedical applications. He holds several US and international patents on stable atmospheric-pressure plasmas and their application and was involved in their commercialization through 2 startups, one of which was acquired by Stryker Instruments in 2005.