Bio
Rishi Pillai is Group Leader of the Corrosion Science and Technology group at ORNL. He received his Ph.D. in Materials Science from the Aachen Technical University (RWTH), Aachen, Germany in 2015. His previous experience includes working as a Research Associate in the prestigious High Temperature Corrosion and Corrosion Protection group at the Julich Research Center (Forschungszentrum Julich), Julich, Germany between 2013-2018 and has been conducting high temperature oxidation research since 2008. His main research areas are experimental and computational evaluation of the high temperature behavior of ferritic and austenitic steels, Ni-base alloys and high temperature corrosion/oxidation resistant coatings. The computational work includes development of coupled thermodynamic and kinetic modelling methodologies to allow a physics-based prediction of corrosion induced degradation and residual lifetime assessment during high temperature exposures. His expertise in computation assisted materials/coatings development has been substantiated through numerous peer reviewed publications and presentations at renowned conferences (e.g. Gordon Research Conference, International Conference on Metallic Coatings and Thin Films, Turbine Forum, Materials Science & Technology).
Professional Experience
- Oct. 2018-present: Senior Research Staff, Corrosion Science & Technology Group, ORNL
- Jan. 2013-Sep. 2018: Research associate at the Institute of Energy and Climate Research, IEK- 2, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Germany
- Apr. 2007 – Dec. 2012: Fellow Scholar and Project Engineer at Oel-Waerme Institut GmbH, Affiliated institute of RWTH Aachen, Germany
Awards
- Best Paper Award, ASME Turbo Expo 2023, Boston, MA, USA
- Best Poster Award, Gordon Research Conference, High Temperature Corrosion 2015, 2023, New London, NH
- Best Poster Award, EFC Workshop, Frankfurt, Germany, 2015
- Best Poster Award, 9th International Symposium on High-Temperature Corrosion and Protection of Materials 2016, Les Embiez, France
Professional Service
- Session Chair: High Temperature Corrosion, EUROCORR 2014, Pisa, Italy
- Session Chair: High Temperature Corrosion, Gordon Research Seminar 2017, New London, NH, USA
- Symposium organizer: Computation Assisted Materials Development for Improved Corrosion Resistance, MS&T, USA 2020-2024.
- Symposium co-organizer: High Temperature Materials and Corrosion, AMPP 2024, 2025.
Professional Affiliations
- Member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2022-present
- Member of The Metals Society, 2019-present
- Member of the TMS Corrosion and Environmental Effects Committee (CEEC), 2021-present