Finding new energy uses for underrated materials is a recurring theme across Amit Naskar’s research portfolio. Since joining Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 2006, he has studied low-cost polymers as carbon fiber precursors, turning lignin−a byproduct of biofuel production−into renewable thermoplastics and creating carbon battery electrodes from recycled tires.
Xin Sun spent her early career helping define a new scientific field, and now she plans to use her technical and managerial experience to expand the capabilities of Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s (ORNL) Energy and Transportation Science Division (ETSD) as she steps in as division director. Xin t...
While serving in Kandahar, Afghanistan, U.S. Navy construction mechanic Matthew Sallas may not have imagined where his experience would take him next. But researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory certainly had the future in mind as they were creating programs to train men and wome...
Rich Davies recently joined Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) as deputy director of the Sustainable Transportation Program. Having previously worked in vehicle and manufacturing research, program management, and strategic planning at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), he comes to ORNL ...
Merlin Theodore is used to the role of pathfinder, having been the first among her family of 11 siblings to pursue graduate studies and then take up a career as a technology innovator. That path led to the doorstep of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where she was recently hired as director of the US ...
Ever since she was a young girl in the small town of Toa Alta, Puerto Rico, Oak Ridge National Laboratory researcher Marissa Morales has had a fascination with science. “When I was a child- maybe 10 or 11- I would mix random ingredients. I put some samples in the freezer, other samples in the ref...
A penchant for playing with the rules of thumb has pushed Burak Ozpineci’s research to the cutting edge of power electronics design for efficient, clean energy—whether that is researching new semiconductors, building new types of power inverters and converters, or creating a way to wirelessly transf...
Scientific research can be vexing and tiring at times, but for Bianca Haberl, the euphoria of discovery is the ultimate reward.
In fact, Haberl can identify the specific instance, early in her career, when that excitement originated and guided her toward high pressure science. ...
Brian Davison has advice for anyone planning a long career in science, gleaned from more than three decades in the field: Appreciate the ‘eureka’ moments, both big and small.
“You don’t find joy every day in any job, but if I find a moment at least once or twice a month, it make...
While trying to decide on an area of technical study as an undergraduate, Madhu Chinthavali visited labs at his college in India. One particular lab where an electrical engineer had devised various motor controls caught his eye. "It wasn't the motor that drew my attention," Ma...