GW's Technology Commercialization Office (TCO) is proud to recognize Timothy McCaffrey as the 2026 GW Inventor of the Year and Xitong Liu as Early Career Inventor of the Year. These awards highlight innovators whose work demonstrates not only scientific rigor, but also the potential to shape industries, improve lives, and inspire future breakthroughs.
Dr. Timothy McCaffrey’s inventive contributions reflect the best of GW’s research community—bold thinking, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a commitment to solving meaningful challenges. His work stands out for its originality and its promise to influence emerging fields of discovery. Through his research, McCaffrey has demonstrated a rare combination of scientific insight and practical application, positioning him as a leader among GW’s community of innovators.
Dr. McCaffrey co-founded True Bearing Diagnostics to transforming how clinicians detect and monitor disease. The licensed technology centers on a novel blood‑based diagnostic platform for infections that identifies subtle host molecular signals—biomarkers that traditional tests often miss. By capturing these early indicators, the system enables faster, more accurate insights into a patient’s health trajectory, supporting earlier intervention and more personalized care. True Bearing Diagnostics is now advancing this innovation toward real‑world clinical use, underscoring the impact of McCaffrey’s research and GW’s leadership in translating scientific discovery into meaningful health solutions.
Dr. Liu’s inventions address some of the most persistent barriers in water purification. His technologies reduce operational costs, minimize chemical use, and enable more reliable treatment of complex water streams. His work exemplifies the translational impact of GW research and the university’s commitment to supporting early‑stage technologies with global relevance.
Dr. Xitong Liu is also advancing a breakthrough approach to lithium extraction that eliminates the need for harsh chemicals and energy‑intensive processing. His team has developed engineered materials capable of selectively capturing lithium from brines, offering a cleaner, more efficient, and more scalable alternative to conventional methods. Liu co-founded Ellexco to develop the technology into a product.
As GW continues to expand its innovation ecosystem—supporting researchers, students, and entrepreneurs across disciplines—McCaffrey and Liu's accomplishments serve as powerful examples of what is possible when curiosity, expertise, and determination come together.
TCO congratulates Timothy McCaffrey and Xitong Liu on their outstanding achievements and celebrates the ingenuity that continues to elevate the university’s leadership in research and innovation.