AquiSense CTO and Co-Founder, Dr. Jennifer Pagán Honored
by Bayh-Dole Coalition for Inventive UV-C Water Disinfection Technology
- Jennifer Pagán began her UV-C LED research at UNC Charlotte when working toward her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering.
- The Bayh-Dole Act of 1980 enabled Pagán’s technology to be licensed to Dot Metrics
where she joined them in 2005 to help commercialize her work. - Pagán received support from UNC Charlotte and Federal funding to push her innovation with Dot Metrics forward.
- Pagán Co-Founded AquiSense with Oliver Lawal, Founder and CEO in 2015.
- AquiSense UVC-LED systems are used in residential, commercial, industrial and municipal applications to disinfect and provide clean water to a wide range of uses and industries.
Kentucky, US – AquiSense, Chief Technology Officer and co-founder, Dr. Jennifer Pagán was
featured in the Bayh-Dole Coalition’s 2025 “Faces of American Innovation” report for her groundbreaking work with UV-C LED water disinfection technology. She will receive the 2025 Bayh-Dole Coalition American Innovator Award in Washington, D.C. on June 4th with four other innovators.
This annual report honors researchers, entrepreneurs, and administrators, whose innovation is made possible by the Bayh-Dole Act, impacting millions of lives both in the United States and around the globe.
The Bayh-Dole Coalition, is a group of innovation-oriented organizations and individuals committed to celebrating and protecting the 1980 Bayh-Dole Act, that provides incentives and authorities necessary for small businesses, nonprofit laboratories and academic institutions to retain intellectual property rights on discoveries made with government support.
Dr. Jennifer Pagán expressed her gratitude for the honor, saying, “I am truly grateful for this recognition by the Bayh-Dole Coalition for our work in revolutionizing water disinfection. This journey began at UNC Charlotte, where the support for innovation and the opportunities enabled by the Bayh-Dole Act allowed us to transform a research idea into a global solution. It’s incredibly rewarding to know our UV-C LED technology is providing clean water to communities worldwide, from remote regions to the International Space Station.”
Dr. Pagán invented a water disinfection technology that uses UV-C LED light, offering a compact and energy-efficient alternative to traditional mercury-based methods while studying for her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at UNC Charlotte. Using funds from the federal Small Business Innovation Research program, she worked with UNC Charlotte spinout Dot Metrics Technologies to develop and commercialize the world’s first UV-C LED water disinfection system. In 2015, she became the co-founder and chief technical officer of AquiSense Technologies, now AquiSense, Inc, whose water disinfection systems have since been deployed around the world — from the United States to Antarctica and even the International Space Station.
“Dr. Pagán’s visionary disinfection technology has helped people around the world — and even outside it — access the clean water they need to survive,” said Joseph P. Allen, executive director of the Bayh-Dole Coalition. “Her world-changing impact exemplifies the importance of the Bayh-Dole Act, which allowed her to license her publicly funded research from UNC Charlotte and transform it into a commercially available product.”
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About the Bayh-Dole Coalition
The Bayh-Dole Coalition is a group of innovation-oriented organizations and individuals committed to celebrating and protecting the Bayh-Dole Act, as well as informing policymakers and the public of its many benefits.
About UNC Charlotte
The UNC Charlotte Division of Research Office of Research Commercialization and Partnerships supports UNC Charlotte’s R1 research enterprise and has been ranked by the Milken Institute as one of the top 50 technology transfer departments in the United States. Since 2019, UNC Charlotte has secured 86 new patents, underscoring its strong commitment to innovation and real-world impact.
About AquiSense
AquiSense stands as the global leader in UV-C LED systems design and manufacturing, delivering innovative solutions for water, air, and surface disinfection. As the world’s largest supplier of UV LED disinfection systems, we are committed to protecting public health through chemical-free, mercury-free technology.
With decades of collective experience in UV disinfection, our team brings together deep expertise in UV LED research, reactor design, and engineering. This comprehensive knowledge enables us to develop the industry’s most advanced, energy-efficient disinfection systems while maintaining the highest safety standards.
Our strategic position between LED device manufacturers and market-specific original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) allows us to serve as a crucial bridge in the UV LED market, delivering tailored solutions across multiple industries.
AquiSense, Inc. is a privately held company, For more information about AquiSense products, visit the company’s website at https://aquisense.com/
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Syrene Lawal
Public Relations Director
+1 859 630 5345
Syrene.Lawal@aquisense.com
Konrad Kowalk
Marketing Manager
+1 859 869 4700
Konrad.Kowalk@aquisense.com
