Fulwyler Award

Mack J. Fulwyler: A Legacy of Innovation

Mack J. Fulwyler was a pioneering physicist, inventor, and scientist whose work helped transform the way researchers study and separate individual cells. In 1965, while at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Fulwyler built the first prototype electrostatic cell sorter by combining a Coulter cell-volume sensor with ink-jet technology. His invention provided a new way to identify and physically separate cells and laid the foundation for technologies that would become essential to modern flow cytometry and biomedical research.

Fulwyler’s contributions extended well beyond the invention of the cell sorter. Throughout his career, he brought together engineering, physics, biology, and medicine to develop new approaches to scientific problems. He contributed to the development of early flow cytometry instrumentation, worked in industry and academia, and was awarded more than 15 patents for inventions related to flow cytometry and cell sorting. He also served as Technical Director of the BD FACS System Division and later as Director of the Laboratory for Cell Analysis at the University of California, San Francisco. 

Just as important as his inventions was Fulwyler’s commitment to collaboration, mentorship, and the exchange of ideas. Colleagues remembered him for his curiosity, generosity, and enthusiasm for turning new ideas into practical innovations. His career exemplified the power of interdisciplinary science and the impact that one inventive mind can have on an entire field.

The Mack J. Fulwyler Award for Innovative Excellence honors that legacy by recognizing individuals whose creativity, ingenuity, and scientific innovation advance cytometry and related fields.

EXPLORE MACK’S LEGACY

Two firsthand and personal accounts offer a deeper look at Mack Fulwyler’s work, ideas, and influence:

• Mack Fulwyler in His Own Words
•  Mack Jett Fulwyer, Pinoneer of Flow Cytometry and Flow Sorting (1936-2001)