Bertozzi was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for inventing bioorthogonal chemistry and its medical applications.
On May 11, 2017, Carolyn Bertozzi was formally inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF), one of the highest honors available to inventors in the United States. She was recognized specifically for inventing the field of bioorthogonal chemistry and for developing its wide-ranging applications in medicine and diagnostics.
The National Inventors Hall of Fame, based in Alexandria, Virginia, honors individuals who hold U.S. patents for inventions that have significantly contributed to the nation's welfare and the advancement of science and useful arts. Induction places honorees alongside historic figures such as Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers, and Marie Curie, reflecting the profound and lasting impact of their contributions.
Bertozzi's induction recognized not just a single invention but an entire field of chemistry that she pioneered, encompassing a suite of chemical reactions capable of occurring within living systems without disrupting native biological processes. This body of work, protected by numerous patents she had filed and been granted since the early 2000s, had already begun transforming biomedical research, diagnostics, and therapeutic development by the time of her induction.
This 2017 honor came five years before her Nobel Prize in Chemistry, serving as an important recognition milestone that highlighted the practical, applied significance of her work alongside its profound scientific importance—demonstrating that her contributions bridged both fundamental discovery and tangible technological innovation.