Renowned Argonne Scientists Join University of Houston in Energy Transition Collaboration

Three top researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory have accepted joint appointments at the University of Houston as part of a strategic collaboration aimed at advancing energy transition efforts. Michael Wang, Zachary Hood, and Jianlin Li are the scientists from Argonne who will be joining the University of Houston in various capacities.

Michael Wang, a senior scientist at Argonne, has been appointed as the inaugural Distinguished Senior Scholar at UH’s Energy Transition Institute. Wang is known for developing the widely utilized GREET model, which has influenced regulatory development in organizations such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Wang's key objectives at UH include advancing research in decarbonizing the oil and gas sector and transitioning to emerging energy technologies like hydrogen and renewable energy sources.

Zachary Hood, a group leader and material scientist at Argonne, will be joining the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the UH Cullen College of Engineering. Hood's expertise in synthetic approaches for solid-state materials will contribute to research on next-generation batteries using abundant, low-cost organic materials.

Jianlin Li, the manager of the Energy Storage and Conversion Department at Argonne, will also have a joint appointment in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Cullen College. Li's plans include establishing a dry room facility at UH and conducting research on emerging energy storage technologies.

Ramanan Krishnamoorti, vice president for energy and innovation at UH, highlighted the importance of this collaboration, stating, “This strategic collaboration leverages the combined strengths of Argonne and the University to further critical research efforts, public-private partnerships and educational opportunities for students in the energy transition and lead to transformational advancement of commercial scale energy industries.”

Joe Powell, founding executive director of ETI, expressed his enthusiasm for Dr. Wang's appointment, emphasizing the potential for reshaping the energy sector and contributing to societal sustainable development and decarbonization.

Krishnamoorti reiterated the significance of bridging academia and industry in driving impactful change in the energy landscape, stating, “We look forward to working with Argonne and Houston Energy Transition Initiative (HETI) to deliver an energy system that is affordable, reliable and sustainable for all.”