Chibueze Amanchukwu, a Neubauer Family Assistant Professor in the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering focusing on electrochemical energy storage and conversion, has been awarded the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2023 Early Career Research Program. The awardees will receive five-year grants to investigate quantum field theory and electrochemical energy storage.
Amanchukwu will receive $1M over five years to study how modulating the electrolyte behavior and solvation controls the electrocatalytic conversion of carbon monoxide to valuable fuels and chemicals. Success in this work will provide a pathway for clean energy deployment and will transform future chemical manufacturing.
His research group broadly combines data science, computation, and experiments to address challenges facing batteries and electrocatalytic conversions.
The Department of Energy Office of Science’s Early Career Research Program is designed to bolster the nation’s scientific workforce by supporting exceptional researchers at the outset of their careers, when many scientists do their most formative work. Since its inception in 2010, the Early Career Research Program has made 868 awards.
“Supporting America’s scientists and researchers early in their careers will ensure the U.S. remains at the forefront of scientific discovery and develops the solutions to our most pressing challenges,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “The funding announced today will allow the recipients the freedom to find the answers to some of the most complex questions as they establish themselves as experts in their fields.”