Diana E Hun

Bio

Diana Hun's research includes integrating the latest developments in materials and manufacturing techniques into building envelopes. For instance, she leads several interdisciplinary teams that are developing autonomous self-healing sealants; pre-installed sealants for prefab construction; overclad panels for building envelope retrofits; low-carbon, recyclable, biobased foam insulation; and lighter and thinner precast insulated panels. She is also a member of teams that are investigating active envelope systems, non-intrusive building envelope diagnostic tools, and low-carbon concrete mixes. Under Hun's leadership, ORNL has expanded its capabilities to include the Advanced Construction Lab and the Sustainable Materials Lab.

Before joining ORNL, Hun was a Senior Associate at Walter P. Moore, which is an international consulting firm that specializes on the design of complex structures. Hun received a PhD in Civil Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin with a grant from the National Science Foundation.

Awards

2006 – 2009 National Science Foundation (NSF) IGERT Fellowship

2008 – 2009 Air and Waste Management Association (A&WMA) Scholarship  

2020 ORNL Innovation Award

2020 Federal Energy and Water Management Award; Empower Wall

2020 ORNL Significant Event Award; Empower Wall

2021 R&D 100 Award; Autonomous Self-Healing Sealant

2022 Air Barrier Association of America Industry Partner Award

2022 Finalist at CAMXACED22 Awards for Composites Excellence

2023 Finalist for Advancing Prefabrication Team of the Year Award

2023 R&D 100 Award Finalist; On-Demand, Pressure-Triggered Sealant for Prefab Building Construction

2023 R&D 100 Award Finalist; A novel approach for salt hydrate PCM encapsulation

Trademarks and Patents

Hun DE, Smith BA, Lewis LA. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA. Fluorescent Air Leakage Detection System for Building Enclosures. US Patent 10,571,356 B2.

Hun DE, Mattus C, Owino J, Onyango M. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA. High Performance Concrete Mix for 1.5”-Thick Wythes. US Patent 10,836,678.

Shrestha S, Hun DE, Atchley A, Biswas K. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA. Thermally Anisotropic Composites for Thermal Management in Building Envelopes. US Non-provisional patent application 16/849,070.

Hun DE, Cao P, Saito T, Li B, Ghezawi N, Zhang Z. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA. Primer-less self-healing sealant. US Non-provisional patent application 17/117,827.

Hun DE, Vaidya U., Sheriff S, Talley D. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA. Non-corroding erection lifting inserts. US Non-provisional patent application 17/187,209.

Hun DE, Vaidya U., Sheriff S, Hiremath N, Hayes N, Ma Z. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA. Non-corroding stripping lifting inserts. US Non-provisional patent application 17/187,044.

Aytug T, Li K, Lamm M, Hun DE, Biswas K. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA. Coated and Evacuated Insulation Spheres. US Provisional patent application 63/056,252.

Hun DE, Cao P, Saito T. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA. Preinstalled Sealant for Prefab Components. Invention Disclosure 201904420.

Hun DE, Saito T, Klett J, Li B, Shrestha S. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA. Polymeric vacuum insulation boards. Invention Disclosure 202004565.

Hun DE, Ma J, Ghosh D, Abd-Elssamd A. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA. High early strength concrete for precast plants to use the casting beds twice per day. Invention Disclosure 202004630.

Feng T, Shrestha S, Howard D, Hun DE. Calculation Tool for Porous Thermal Insulation Materials. Invention Disclosure 202104780.

Hun DE, Boudreaux PR, Killough S, Post BK, Wang P, Vaughan J. Real-Time Evaluator to Optimize Prefab Retrofit Panel Installation. Invention Disclosure 202104789.

Boudreaux PR, Killough S, Hun DE. Non-intrusive microwave reflection-based moisture detector for durable building envelope retrofits. Invention Disclosure 202004758.

Shrestha S, Feng T, Hun DE. Fast Solid-State Thermal Switch with Large ON/OFF Ratio. Invention Disclosure 202004771.