Julie Renner, assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, was awarded an ECS Toyota Young Investigator Fellowship.
The fellowship program is a partnership between the Electrochemical Society (ECS) and Toyota Research Institute of North America. Renner is one of just three researchers from across the country to be selected for the honor.
The ECS Toyota Young Investigator Fellowship aims to encourage young professors and scholars to pursue research in green energy technology that may promote the development of next-generation vehicles capable of using alternative fuels.
Renner, who is an affiliated faculty member with the Great Lakes Energy Institute, will use the $50,000 award to advance her research in protein engineering. Renner and her team are developing innovative engineered protein materials that can serve as self-assembling templates for electrode components. This technology has the potential to improve the utilization of precious metal catalysts used in fuel cells and electrolysis systems, leading to more cost-effective green energy systems.