The Center for Sustainable Energy (ND Energy) at the University of Notre Dame has selected eight exceptional graduate students from a pool of twenty-three outstanding applicants to receive fellowships to advance research in specific areas important to creating a cleaner, more sustainable energy future for all.
The Patrick ’90 and Jana Eilers Graduate Student Fellowship for Energy Related Research supports a broad range of energy-related topics and provides each student with an award of nearly $10,000 to advance their research. The John ’00 and Karla Forgash Graduate Student Fellowship for Solar Energy Research supports advancements in solar energy and awards $6,000 to a graduate student to support their research. Recipients of the Eilers and Forgash Fellowships become members of a distinguished research group within the ND Energy community and are provided opportunities to feature their research throughout the year at various events, including the annual ND Energy Research Symposium.
The 2024 Eilers and Forgash Fellows are listed below with their project titles and brief descriptions of their research projects.
Eilers Fellows
Barnabas Agbodekhe
Computational Investigation and Discovery of Novel Materials for the Energy-Efficient and Sustainable Phaseout of Hydrofluorocarbons
The necessary phaseout of refrigerant mixtures that cause global warming requires the forebodingly energy-intensive separation of these mixtures into their components so they can be repurposed. There is also the need to design more environmentally friendly and energy-efficient replacement refrigerants. This research project seeks to investigate and discover novel materials to enable the energy-efficient recovery and replacement of environmentally harmful refrigerant mixtures by applying computational methods to enable the energy-efficient recovery and repurposing of harmful refrigerants and ensure the energy efficiency of future heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, and refrigeration systems, which currently consume 20-30% of electricity usage in U.S. households.
Barnabas is seeking a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and is conducting his research in the laboratory of Edward Maginn, Keough-Hesburgh Professor of Engineering in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Associate Vice President for Research, University of Notre Dame. Barnabas received his Master of Science in Advanced Chemical Engineering from the Imperial College in London and his Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering from the University of Benin, Nigeria.
Irina Gushchina
Chalcohalide Nanocrystals for Solar Energy Harvesting: Synthesis, Characterization, and Photocatalytic Applications
This research project is devoted to synthesis of various novel chalcohalide nanocrystals and characterization of their optoelectronic properties to identify the best candidates for photocatalytic applications.
Irina is seeking a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering/Chemistry and Biochemistry and is conducting her research in the laboratory of Masaru Kuno, Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Irina received her Master of Science in Materials Science from Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology in Russia and her Bachelor of Science in Materials Science from Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia.
Etinosa Osaro
Development of a Universal Adsorption Model for Efficient Energy Applications: Simultaneous Exploration of Molecule and Material Space using Active Learning
This research project focuses on leveraging advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods to identify the most efficient materials for energy-related processes. By precisely predicting how gases interact with certain materials (Metal-Organic Frameworks or MOFs), this approach could significantly reduce energy consumption in chemical separation processes, paving the way for more sustainable and eco-friendly energy solutions.
Etinosa is seeking a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and is conducting his research in the laboratory of Yamil Colón, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Etinosa received his Bachelor of Science in Petroleum and Gas Engineering from the University of Lagos, Nigeria.
Hope Otor
Elucidating Plasma-Catalytic Interactions for Nitrogen Fixation
Nitrogen fixation via ammonia and nitrate fertilizer provides nutrients for plant growth and food production. However, the current industrial process incurs a significant energy penalty and CO2 footprint. This research project aims to electrify and decarbonize the nitrogen fixation process via the use of plasma technologies.
Hope is seeking a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and is conducting his research in the laboratory of Jason Hicks, the Tony and Sarah Earley Professor of Energy and the Environment in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Associate Dean for Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs, College of Engineering. Hope received his Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Toledo, Ohio, and his Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering from Federal University of Technology Minna, Nigeria.
Jonathan Ouimet
Diafiltration Cascades for Critical Mineral Separations to Support a Clean Energy Transition
This research project will establish fundamental insights on the transport of solute through membrane systems using salt concentrations that are relevant to lithium brines in the United States. The data, generated using high-throughput experimentation techniques, will enable current critical mineral processes to be improved and can be used to reverse engineer new membrane materials.
Jonathan is seeking a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and is conducting his research in the laboratory of William Phillip, the Rooney Family Collegiate Chair of Engineering and Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Jonathan received his Bachelor of Science in Engineering with a concentration in Chemical Engineering from Miami University, Ohio.
Gábor Szabó
Revealing the Role of Iodine Expulsion in Perovskite Solar Cells
Perovskite solar cells have emerged as exciting candidates in solar energy conversion devices due to their high efficiency and low fabrication cost. This research project aims to understand the light-induced degradation processes in perovskite solar cells, which will help the community develop strategies to improve long-term stability (crucial for commercialization).
Gábor is seeking a Ph.D in Chemistry and is conducting his research in the laboratory of Prashant Kamat, the Rev. John A. Zahm Professor of Science in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Gábor received his Master of Science in Chemistry and his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Szeged, Hungary.
Ke Wang
Bayesian Optimization of Additive Manufacturing for Thermoelectric Materials
Thermoelectric (TE) generators (TEGs) are a promising technology for powering distributed sensor networks, biomedical devices, wearable electronics, and beyond. However, the efficiency of TEGs is limited by the TE materials and their manufacturing methods. This research project seeks to establish a paradigm shift from heuristic time- and resource-intensive Edisonian search to systematical data-driven optimization for TE materials and devices.
Ke is seeking a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and is conducting his research in the laboratory of Alexander Dowling, Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Ke received his Master of Science in Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Notre Dame and his Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Sichuan University, China.
Forgash Fellow
Wyatt Balliew
Quantum Dot Metal Complex Hybrids, a New Platform for Tunable Electro- and Photocatalysis
Tuning metal redox potentials can affect their catalytic activities and efficiencies for desirable energy-relevant transformations like CO2 reduction. This research project will study how post-synthetic modification of the ancillary surface ligands of nanocrystal-coordination complex assemblies can be used to modulate the transition metal redox potentials via nanocrystal surface electric fields.
Wyatt is seeking a Ph.D. in Chemistry and is conducting his research in the laboratory of Emily Tsui, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Wyatt received his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Clemson University, South Carolina.
About Student Research Fellowships in Sustainable Energy
ND Energy offers competitive fellowships to undergraduate and graduate students at Notre Dame to support advancements in energy-related research with ND Energy faculty affiliates and to broaden the educational knowledge and research capabilities of students.
About ND Energy
ND Energy is a University Center whose mission is to build a better world by creating new energy technologies and systems and educating individuals to help solve the most critical energy challenges facing the world today. For more information, please visit the ND Energy website at energy.nd.edu or contact Barbara Villarosa, Business and Communications Program Director, at bvillaro@nd.edu.