To determine the projects that receive Year 2 funding, the NCESR Progress Review Committee reviewed the Cycle 18 Principal Investigators (PIs) six-month reports and each PI presented to the committee on October 24, 2024. The review allowed the committee and PIs to discuss the progress of each project in more detail. The Progress Review Committee is comprised of the NCESR Director and Associate Director, NPPD Liaisons and NUtech staff. The committee meeting also gives NUtech an opportunity to connect with the PIs and Co-PIs if they haven’t already done so regarding intellectual property (IP). After the committee deliberations, all nine Cycle 18 projects were awarded Year 2 funding.
We look forward to receiving future updates regarding their research progress, external funding awards, and any IP results.
• Low Cost and Clean Energy Storage Based on Molecular Ferroelectrics and Antiferroelectrics
Principal Investigator (PI) – Dr. Xiaoshan Xu, Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy, College of Arts and Sciences
Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) – Dr. Xia Hong, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, College of Arts and Sciences
Co-PI – Dr. Takashi Komesu, Research Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy, College of Arts and Sciences
• Cure-in-Place Phase Change Thermal Interface Material for Superior Thermal Management in High-Power Energy Systems
PI – Dr. Eric Markvicka, Assistant Professor of Mechanical & Materials Engineering, College of Engineering
Co-PI – Dr. Lucia Fernandez-Ballester, Assistant Professor of Mechanical & Materials Engineering, College of Engineering
• Discovery of Multiple Element Alloys for Preventing Hydrogen Embrittlement
PI – Dr. Jian Wang, Professor of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering
Co-PI – Dr. Bai Cui, Associate Professor of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering
• Electrocatalysts for Green Hydrogen: Tailored 2D Materials based on Metal Carbide
PI – Dr. Siamak Nejati, Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, College of Engineering
Co-PI – Dr. Alexander Sinitskii, Professor of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences
• Next Generation Embedded Wireless Sensors for Structural Health Monitoring of Wind Turbines
PI – Dr. Joseph Turner, Robert W. Brightfelt Professor of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering
Co-PI – Dr. Shubhendu Bhardwaj, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering
• An Intelligent Adaptive Modular Battery Energy Storage System for the Built Environment
PI – Dr. Moe Alahmad, Associate Professor of Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction, College of Engineering
Co-PI – Dr. Xiaoqi Liu, Assistant Professor of Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction, College of Engineering
Co-PI – Dr. Hamid Sharif, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering
• Microgrid Mastermind: The Quest for Reliable Electricity
PI – Francis John Hay, Extension Educator (Energy) of Biological Systems Engineering, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and College of Engineering
Co-PI – Dr. Jennifer Keshwani, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist of Biological Systems Engineering, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and College of Engineering
• Subsurface Hydrogen Migration and Reactions for Geological Hydrogen Production and Engineered Storage
PI – Dr. Seunghee Kim, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
Co-PI – Dr. Karrie A. Weber, Director of Microbiology Program, Associate Professor of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences
• Systems Metabolic Engineering of Pseudomonas Putida for the Bioproduction of C6 Chemicals from Lignin-derived Aromatics
PI – Dr. Wei Niu, Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, College of Engineering
Co-PI – Dr. Chi Zhang, Professor of Biochemistry, School of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences