Haoran Yu

Bio

Haoran is a Technical Professional at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences. His research aims to enable hydrogen technologies towards DOE’s hydrogen shot goal of reducing the cost of clean hydrogen to 1 $ per 1 kilogram in 1 decade ("1 1 1"). In particular, Haoran focuses on electrocatalyst and membrane electrode assembly (MEA) development for hydrogen fuel cells and water electrolyzers, bridging advanced electron microscopy methods with in situ/ex situ electrochemical measurements to study the structure-property relationship of materials and their degradation mechanisms. Haoran serves as PI on the Hydrogen from Next-generation Electrolyzers of Water (H2NEW) consortium and the Electrocatalyst consortium, and as a staff researcher in Million Mile Fuel Cell Truck (M2FCT) consortium, which are funded by the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies (HFTO) office at the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE). Haoran joined ORNL in Feb. 2020 as a postdoctoral researcher where he developed automated workflow for high-throughput processing microscopy images to obtain statistics of nanoparticle properties, and studied catalyst degradation mechanisms using identical-location electron microscopy. Prior to joining ORNL, Haoran was research professor and postdoc researcher at the University of Connecticut (UConn), where he also earned his PhD in Chemical Engineering. At UConn, Haoran primarily worked on the development and manufacturing of electrocatalysts for fuel cells and water electrolyzers, and managed projects funded by DOE and industries. Haoran received his Bachelor Degree in Polymer materials and Engineering at Donghua University, Shanghai, China.

Professional Experience

2022-current      Technical Professional, ORNL

2020-2022          Postdoctoral research associate, ORNL

2019-2020          Research Professor, University of Connecticut

2017-2019          Postdoctoral research associate, University of Connecticut

Awards

• 2017   Best Paper awards (First Prize), European Fuel Cell Conference                                         
• 2013, 2015, and 2016    Travel grant: Industrial Electrochemistry and Electrochemical Engineering Division for biannual meetings of the Electrochemical Society.   
• 2011 University of Connecticut pre-doctoral fellowship                                                                               

Education

Ph.D.      Chemical Engineering, University of Connecticut                         2017

B.A.        Polymer Materials and Engineering, Donghua University             2011

Professional Affiliations

Member of the Electrochemical Society

Member of Microscopy Society of America (MSA)

Specialized Equipment

JEOL NEOARM Atomic Resolution Imaging & Analytical Electron Microscope

Publications