Henry Samueli inducted into National Inventors Hall of Fame
Prolific UC Irvine donor and adjunct professor recognized for broadband telecommunications leadership
Feb. 17, 2026 - Henry Samueli, Distinguished Adjunct Professor of electrical engineering and computer science and namesake of the Samueli School of Engineering at the University of California, Irvine, has been named a member of the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
The organization, which inducted 15 innovators for 2026, recognized Samueli for his achievements in the field of advanced broadband communications, including developing technologies that have allowed affordable, high-speed digital data transmission to homes and businesses. Samueli is the co-founder of Broadcom Inc., a leader in wired and wireless communications technologies.
“Induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame is a rare and highly prestigious recognition, so it’s fitting that Henry Samueli has been honored for his groundbreaking contributions to broadband communications,” said UC Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman. “His leadership enabled technology to benefit human societies around the world, and his generosity to the University of California, Irvine is unparalleled.”
Samueli is a prolific inventor who holds more than 75 U.S. patents. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at UCLA in 1975, followed by a master’s degree in 1976 and a Ph.D. in 1980. In 1991, while he was a faculty member at UCLA, he co-founded Broadcom with one of his students. Based in Palo Alto, California, it’s now one of the world’s largest semiconductor and infrastructure software companies.
“I am deeply honored to have been inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame,” Samueli said. “A spirit of innovation rises from institutions such as UC Irvine, UCLA and the University of California system to the state of California and to our nation and the rest of the world. I am proud to have played a role in developing and sharing technologies that have helped many people.”
Through their foundations and other holdings, Henry Samueli and his wife, Susan, have made many major gifts to UC Irvine, including a $200 million pledge in 2017 to establish the Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences. In 2023, the couple donated $50 million to the Samueli School of Engineering for the creation of three multidisciplinary research institutes devoted to solving pressing problems in health, society and the environment.
A $30 million gift from the Samueli Foundation in 2017 helped fund construction of the Susan & Henry Samueli Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering building, expanding UC Irvine’s ability to conduct large-scale, collaborative and cross-disciplinary research in engineering, computing and physical sciences.
In 1999, the Samueli School of Engineering received a $20 million naming gift, which in part endowed 10 chairs and professorships and funded two scholarships and one graduate fellowship. In addition, $2 million from the Samueli Foundation in 2007 established the UC Irvine/Israeli Scholar Exchange Endowment for Engineering Science Program, which supports research pursuits, international collaborations and educational activities with Israeli universities to build bridges between UC Irvine engineers and their Israeli counterparts, solidifying the Samueli School’s role as a global leader among engineering schools.
A $5.7 million gift from the Samuelis in 2000 led to the establishment of the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine, which took a leadership role in exploring the frontiers of complementary and integrative health. With the couple’s 2017 gift to the health sciences, it has expanded to become the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute.
And the Samuelis’ generosity extends beyond UC Irvine. They established the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science at UCLA and the Sala and Aron Samueli Holocaust Memorial Library at Chapman University. Additionally, the couple helped found the Samueli Academy, a public charter high school in Santa Ana for underserved and foster teens. Since the establishment of their foundation in 1998, the Samuelis have committed over $1 billion to philanthropic efforts.
Other individuals to be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame class of 2026 are responsible for a surgical wound healing device, Spanx shapewear, hybrid sorghum grains that are resistant to drought and disease, CRISPR gene editing, zip (cable) ties and more.
“The National Inventors Hall of Fame is committed to illuminating the legacies of world-changing inventors and creating opportunities for the next generation to learn from these innovative role models,” said CEO Monica Jones. “The inventors in our 2026 class have made contributions in fields as varied as semiconductor technology and portable inhalers. Induction into the Hall of Fame honors the significance of these advances, which have enhanced our daily lives and well-being.”
New members will be formally inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame on May 6 at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. On the following day, class of 2026 members will be honored in Washington, D.C., in a ceremony titled “The Greatest Celebration of American Innovation.”
