William Chueh, assistant professor of materials science and engineering at Stanford University, has been named a 2018 Materials Research Society (MRS) Outstanding Young Investigator. Chueh was cited “for groundbreaking research on ionic and electronic charge transport and interface chemistry relevant to electrochemical devices.” He will receive the award Wednesday, April 4, at the 2018 MRS Spring Meeting in Phoenix and will present his talk Monday, April 2 at the PCC.

Chueh’s current research focuses on ionic and electronic charge transport and interface chemistry relevant to electrochemical devices, such as batteries and fuel cells. He and his research group seek to understand and engineer ion-insertion reactions at the levels of electrons, ions, molecules, and particles using a bottom-up approach. They have pioneered the use of state-of-the-art in situ and in operando techniques, employing novel methods of transmission electron microscopy, synchrotron x-ray spectroscopy, and diffraction to study processes such as ion intercalation into battery electrodes and local structural changes at interfaces during redox reactions.

Chueh and his group utilize a wide range of solutions, vapor, and solid-state routes to create high-performance electrochemical devices, such as photoelectrochemical cells, fuel cells, electrolyzers, and metal-air batteries.

He received his BS degree in applied physics and his PhD degree in materials science from the California Institute of Technology. Chueh is recognized as a Top 35 Innovator under the Age of 35 by MIT Technology Review, he received the President Harry S. Truman Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship from Sandia National Laboratories, the BASF/Volkswagen Science Award for Electrochemistry, the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, and an NSF Career Award.