Read about the 2024 winner, runners up, and honorable mention recipients of the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO) Postdoctoral Recognition Award.
Winner
Tanya Agarwal, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Ionomer Durability in Membrane and Electrodes
This award recognizes Dr. Tanya Agarwal for her work in ionomer durability in membrane and electrodes. In her research so far, Agarwal has resolved the long-standing issue with the migration of cerium, the most promising antioxidant for fuel cell membranes. Such work has been replicated internationally for membrane and bipolar plate durability and has generated interest from industry as well. Agarwal primarily contributes to the HFTO Million Mile Fuel Cell Truck (M2FCT) consortium, in both the areas of durability and materials development, and provides significant support to industrial funding opportunity announcement projects. Agarwal's next immediate research goal at Los Alamos National Laboratory is to design hydrocarbon membranes for hydrogen technologies that perform at par with PFAS alternatives. Agarwal has nine publications and has received several awards such as the prestigious Los Alamos Director's Post-Doctoral Fellowship.
Runners Up
Andrew Rowberg, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Model-Driven Engineering of Materials for Solid-Oxide Electrolysis and Solid-State Storage of Hydrogen
At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Dr. Andrew Rowberg uses quantum mechanical simulations to study materials for solid-state hydrogen storage and production via clean electrolysis; such work of unraveling the fundamental materials physics of hydrogen storage and production platforms has resulted in six manuscripts published or submitted in support of efforts with Hydrogen Materials Advanced Research Consortium (HyMARC), HydroGEN, and Hydrogen from Next-generation Electrolyzers of Water (H2NEW). Rowberg has a total of 18 publications and several awards such as being a Fulbright Scholar and recently being selected by the Bay Area Postdoctoral Research SLAM! Competition as a finalist for his work on HydroGEN.
Rebecca Hamlyn, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Approaching the Complex Composite Electrode Interface with operando AP-XPS
At Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, primarily funded through the Hydrogen from Next-generation Electrolyzers of Water (H2NEW) consortium to develop novel techniques and methodologies to address challenges around the large-scale production of hydrogen by electrocatalytic water splitting, Dr. Rebecca Hamlyn has designed and fabricated first-of-its-kind electrochemical cells for use in operando X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) environments. This work has led to the establishment of an experimental protocol for the accurate and effective acquisition of XPS data for these state-of-the-art materials. Hamlyn has 15 publications and has a track record of effective communication, with publishing/proposal authorship, and award-winning teaching.
Kui Li, Los Alamos National Laboratory
New Materials and Approaches for Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers
At Los Alamos National Laboratory, Dr. Kui Li has achieved major advances in fuel cell electrode technology through his work on array electrode development. His work has produced membrane electrode assemblies with record high performance and durability that have been instrumental to the success of the Million Mile Fuel Cell Truck (M2FCT) consortium. Other examples of Li's major R&D accomplishments include his involvement in the Hydrogen from Next-generation Electrolyzers of Water (H2NEW) consortium and the HFTO Lab Call on Ultralow Iridium Catalysts with Controlled Morphology and Speciation. Li has 33 peer-reviewed publications, three patents, and holds the prestigious Los Alamos National Laboratory Director’s Postdoctoral Fellowship.
Honorable Mention
Sarah Blair, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Melissa Kreider, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Guanzhi Wang, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory