Rational Design of Materials for Energy Conversion and Propulsion
Cluster Leaders:
Patrick Schelling, Associate Professor, Physics, College of Sciences, and AMPAC
Nina Orlovskaya, Associate Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of
Computer Science and Engineering.
Steering Committee
Patrick Schelling (Physics)
Talat Rahman (Physics)
Jay Kapat (MAE)
Nina Orlovskaya (MAE)
James Fenton (FSEC, MSE)
Fernando Uribe-Romo (Chemistry)
Core Faculty
Abdelkader Kara (Physics)
William Kaden (Physics)
Sergey Stolbov (Physics)
Laurene Tetard (NSTC)
Paul Brooker (FSEC)
Seetha Raghavan (MAE)
Nazim Muradov (FSEC)
Haiyun Hu (CS)
Ali Raissi (FSEC)
Annie Wu (CS)
Participating UCF Faculty
Masa Ishigami (Physics)
Mubarak Shah (CS)
Subith Vasu Sumathi (MAE)
Jihua Gou (MAE)
Kevin Mackie (Civil Eng.)
Morgan C. Wang (Statistics)
Sumit Jha (CS)
Stephen Kuebler (Chemistry)
1. Brief overview of the Rational Materials Design (RMD) cluster
The production of electricity from intermittent renewable resources, such as solar, is costcompetitive with fossil fuel generated electricity, and alternatively-powered transportation (e.g.
biomass-derived fuels, electricity, and hydrogen) are rapidly gaining acceptance. Materials
research for catalytic production and storage of energy is essential for increased market
penetration of renewable energy sources. The proposed cluster is designed to transform UCF
into a nationally- and internationally-recognized leader in energy-related research, specifically in
the discovery and application of materials for catalysis. Several cluster members already have
significant funding from the US Department of Energy (DOE) in this area. However, we are
missing expertise at UCF in several key areas, which seriously limits our ability to succeed in
obtaining large grants in catalysis-related research and begin to address important societal and
economic issues related to energy and the environment.
We are proposing five new faculty hires into a cluster of material scientists, engineers, and
computer scientists who have already started to work together with the objective of accelerating
the discovery and development of new materials for the energy economy. The new hires will be
made in critical areas related to chemical/electrochemical means for energy storage and
conversion, with a particular focus in chemical catalysis. At the most fundamental atomic scale,
the team will employ physics-based computer models to develop a large database of materials
properties. This database will then serve as input for computational-thinking and data-mining
1 techniques developed by computer scientists to discover promising new materials. Finally,
insight developed from this accelerated discovery process will be realized into applications that
will have a large societal and economic impact. The proposed hiring plan targets faculty in
critical experimental areas who are needed to generate the seamless expertise within the
cluster to translate the accelerated discovery process to devices and applications in energy
conversion and propulsion technology.
Figure 1 Strengths of current UCF groups and how they link together in the proposed
cluster. The colored wedges show the paths for interaction between different components
of the cluster. The white wedge indicates the current vacancies that the cluster hire will
fill.
Figure 1, graphically depicts how the proposed hires will interact with existing strengths at
UCF. The colored wedges represent areas where we have strength. The white areas represent
areas where there is virtually no effort at UCF. These areas are targeted by the proposed cluster
hires, with more specific details of the proposed hires in these areas also included in Fig 1. We
envision that new faculty in these areas will form a bridge between the fundamental
computational work on campus, and more applied work at the Florida Solar Energy Center
(FSEC) and the Center for Advanced Turbine and Energy Research (CATER).
2 Where we are strong
In the Physics Department, we are particularly strong in the area of computational modeling,
especially in areas of catalysis and surface science. This includes the cluster lead (Schelling), as
well as other core members (Rahman, Stolbov, and Kara). There are also strengths in materials
synthesis and characterization within Physics (Kaden, Ishigami), Chemistry (Uribe-Romo), MAE
(Orlovskaya), and NSTC (Tetard). FSEC has research faculty who have strengths in
development and use of catalysts for a variety of energy applications (Raissi, Muradov, Brooker
and Fenton). Especially within the computational group, the research focus is on fundamental
science at the atomic scale. Within FSEC, the focus is usually directed more towards
development and implementation of new energy technologies, and somewhat less on
fundamental science. This includes several areas where FSEC is competitive on a national stage,
including electric vehicles, energy storage, fuel cells, and photovoltaics. In addition to these
strengths, we have assembled a team of computer scientists and a statistician who can team with
the group in the physics department to enhance our ability to predict new materials using data
mining and computational thinking. The idea is to extract patterns from large amounts of data,
which includes data mining (Wang), machine-learning (Hu, Wu), algorithm development (Jha),
and computer-vision, where UCF has strength (Shah).
The core faculty members in our cluster have demonstrated the ability to lead in large
projects. This is especially true of FSEC, which has managed many large projects with complex
interactions of interdisciplinary faculty and researchers at multiple universities, DOE national
laboratories and industry (Fenton, Raissi, and Brooker). From the Basis Energy Sciences (BES)
division of DOE, Rahman has been funded since 2003 (Catalysis Program with non-UCF CoPIs) and Kara since 2011. Many other large proposals have been led by Physics, often in
collaborative efforts with FSEC and other US institutions and National Labs. Orlovskaya (MAE)
has recently submitted a major proposal to NSF (Materials Innovation Program) with Rahman
and Uribe-Romo as Co-PIs. Rahman is the PI on a National Science Foundation Research
Traineeship (NRT) proposal (Data Enabled Science and Engineering initiative) in which 9 of our
team members are either Co-PI or senior personnel. In addition, Kapat (MAE) leads the Center
for Advanced Turbine and Energy Research (CATER) at UCF. This center plays an important
role in turbine research for energy and propulsion applications, and has made many important
links to local industries. Both FSEC and CATER have a significant economic impact within
Florida. Finally, Mubarak Shah is the Director of the Center for Research in Computer Vision,
which includes several faculty members and a large number of graduate students.
What we are missing
The areas that are missing are those that would act to enhance ties between more
fundamental studies undertaken primarily on campus, and more applied research at FSEC and
CATER. The shared realization of our shortcomings has emerged out of several years’ worth of
discussions amongst our core faculty, often stemming from collaborative proposals. For
example, within the FSEC members of the cluster, it has been realized that a lack of more
fundamental efforts, including in areas of computation, is a severe limitation. Similarly, Physics
members have relied on external collaborators to carry our experimental catalysis science
research for their sustained funding. For example, we do not yet have anyone who does
systematic experimental research in chemical reactions either at the fundamental level or the
scale-up engineering level. The proposed hires are intermediate between fundamental studies
3 and applications, and would help to forge a stronger link between the current and new hire
material energy tenure-track/tenured faculty with the research faculty (non-tenure) of FSEC.
2. Short and long-term cluster objectives
The short-term objectives of the cluster are to:
• Enhance interactions among cluster members already at UCF
• Develop stronger ties between Computer Science, Chemistry and Physics at UCF to
pursue opportunities in computational materials in response to the Materials
Genome Initiative
• Identify five new faculty in key areas that form strong links between more
fundamental and applied areas of energy and propulsion research
• Create a new seminar series on energy research, which will lead to the formation of
a “virtual institute” which can help link FSEC with the main campus, and more
broadly connect energy-related research across UCF
The long-term objectives are to:
• Achieve international prominence in energy and propulsion research
• Enhance partnerships with industry (locally and nationally)
• Develop an academic program that encourages interdisciplinary education based on
a common focus on data and computational approaches linked to energy applications
• Train the next generation of leaders in energy and propulsion science and technology
• Compete successfully for large research grants at a national level, including DOE,
NSF, and DoD as potential funding sources
3. Achieve international prominence in energy-related research
The strengths identified above create a unique opportunity for UCF to become a top-ten
institution in energy-related research. For example, FSEC is already regarded as extremely
competitive in a number of key areas, but one weakness has been a lack of interaction with
campus, which is partly due to a lack of UCF faculty in critical areas. Due to this weakness,
FSEC also is limited in its ability to identify students who might be supported by grants. The
computational team within the Physics Department is also very successful, but has not been able
to connect its research as effectively as it might to applications. The cluster plan we will pursue
must address these issues.
To begin our path towards preeminence in energy research, the plan followed by the
computational group reflects the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI), which has been an area of
national focus (http://www.whitehouse.gov/mgi). The MGI was launched with $100 million in
the President’s FY2012 budget, with the goal of accelerating materials discovery by a factor of
two. Several agencies, including those with major investments in energy research, have been
impacted by the MGI, including DOE, NSF, and NIST. The team is already developing these
approaches and competing for funding at a national level. In the short term, we plan to enhance
our collaborations with UCF computer scientists to improve our chances for successful
proposals.
This new paradigm for materials discovery, enabled by federal funding reflecting the MGI,
employed by the computational group in the Physics Department, and working in tandem with
UCF strengths in computer science and energy research (FSEC, CATER), represents an
exceptionally promising opportunity for UCF to become a leader. The breadth of experience
4 within FSEC and CATER for industrial interactions represents an important asset to impact the
local economy. This proposed synergy between computation, experiment, and implementation in
applications, promises to create a set of strengths and capabilities that will be unique. Significant
interactions and economic impacts that already exist are documented in the appendix. We expect
those to accelerate with the new cluster focus.
4. Alignment between cluster objectives and UCF strategic priorities
The cluster objectives align quite closely with the strategic priorities of the departments
(Physics, Chemistry, MAE), colleges (COS, Engineering), Centers (FSEC), and the University.
Specifically, by training undergraduate and graduate students in the emerging paradigm of
computationally-guided materials discovery and application, we can provide the very best in
educational opportunities. Students will also have the opportunity to interact and collaborate
across the disciplines, from fundamental science, to engineering, and development of
applications. The MGI represents a national priority with a clear economic impact, and it is
essential for UCF to become preeminent in this area if we want to continue to be an important
research university. Finally, there is a significant potential to enhance the ability of Centers,
including FSEC, to strengthen ties to local and national industries, and more fully realize our
potential as a leading partnership university.
The specific direction of the cluster hire is also aligned with the UCF priority of addressing
the issue of climate change. Energy research is critical in slowing growth in carbon emissions
without slowing economic growth. Within the past few years, it has been demonstrated that
increases in carbon emissions are now less than the rate of economic growth, due in large part to
new renewable energy sources coming on line. By addressing this trend, the cluster will impact
this important UCF and national priority. The UCF focus in this area is found in the online
document (http://rs.acupcc.org/site_media/uploads/cap/448-cap.pdf).
5. Evidence-based impact
Energy plays a central role in all economic activity. In the past, energy shortages and price
spikes have driven national and statewide investments in new technology. For example, FSEC
was founded by the state legislature in 1975 in response to the energy crisis. Initially the role of
FSEC was primarily in testing and certification, but since it has become a leading player in
energy research, and yet still plays an important role in the local economy. Similarly, CATER
has played a key role in supporting turbine technology for energy and propulsion. This has been
an important economic driver for several companies located in Florida as indicated in Figure 2.
Faculty affiliated with CATER (Kapat) have been instrumental in preparing students for
employment in these local industries. Some additional evidence of the impact of FSEC and
CATER in the local economy are further described in the appendix.
More recently, increased awareness of the potential societal and economic impacts of climate
change have driven clean energy research (e.g. solar PV, wind, hydrogen fuel cells, etc.), and
FSEC is playing an important role there. National investments have begun to yield important
advances, and clean energy is becoming economically competitive. In fact, utility solar and
rooftop solar power are actually cheaper than electricity generated fossil fuels. For example, the
U.S. currently has about 20 GW of installed solar capacity, with another 20 GW is anticipated to
come on line in 2015-16. Here, Florida Power and Light has plans to bring three new 75 MW
solar arrays online by 2016. However, there are still critical obstacles that require investment,
especially in areas related to energy conversion and storage.
5 UCF and Florida already have large investments in energy and propulsion technologies
(Siemens, Mitsubishi, Lockheed Martin, GE/Alstom, Pratt & Whitney, Aerojet Rocketdyne,
Space-X, ATK), and more recently the Florida Advanced Manufacturing Research Center, with
an initial investment of $70 million, which partners with UCF and the Florida High Tech
Corridor Council. These local investments, already partnering with UCF in many areas, will be
expected to benefit by closer connections to fundamental research on campus, enabled by
existing links to FSEC and CATER. In the appendix, details for an Industry Consortium are
presented.
Figure 2 Interactions of
CATER with local
industries dependent on
turbine technology in energy
and propulsion. The total
revenue of companies
associated with CATER is
over $200 billion. Many of
the ~10,000 engineers
employed by these
companies were educated at
UCF.
6. Curriculum plan, and plans for strengthen our education mission
The data-driven approach enabled by the MGI represents a new paradigm for materials
discovery. It is therefore critical that our students be trained to be leaders in this area. In addition,
the nature of research, both in industry and academia, increasingly involve interactions across
disciplines. The interdisciplinary structure of our cluster, along a focus on the new paradigm for
materials discovery, will be critical to providing students with experiences that are competitive.
To enable this shift in how research is done, and how researchers reach across disciplines, we
are already in the process of designing three courses (Fig. 3) we expect to offer to our NSF
Trainees should our proposal be funded. Graduate students will take a series of courses that
integrate experimental and theoretical techniques, providing them hands-on experience and
training in the scientific process of data acquisition and its rationalization. Our interdisciplinary
team will develop these courses and offer them to students from several departments in the
physical sciences and engineering. Students will be required to take two courses in the physics
department which would serve as the prerequisite for the courses that we develop. The first
course will focus on providing students the basics of data acquisition and its interpretation in
materials science. The second course will center on data visualization. The third and capstone
course, will invite students to develop modules to provide a seamless framework for
interpretation of experimental data using related computational techniques. We will develop
these courses and offer them in the near future.
7. Hiring plan
We plan to make a senior-level hire as a first step, starting in the Fall 2016. This will be an
open hire, but we have already identified at least one potential candidate. The purpose of making
6 a senior hire early on is to add another outside perspective towards the direction of the cluster,
including future hires. The proposed hiring areas are:
1. Open-rank position in alternative fuel and its performance
2. Open-rank position for an experimentalist in catalysis (nanoscale)
3. Open-rank position for an experimentalist in catalysis (scale-up engineering)
4. Open-rank position for an experimentalist in photocatalysis
5. Open-rank position for an experimentalist in electrochemistry/electrochemical
engineering
Figure 3 Courses will
be integrated with
research to develop
expertise in the
emerging paradigm for
materials discovery. The
education plan is
currently the focus of an
NSF-NRT training
proposal.
The plan is to hire 3 scientists and 2 engineers engaged in catalysis research and application, who
may join any of the departments home to present cluster members. These five positions can be
housed in the College of Sciences (Physics, Chemistry), or the College of Engineering (MAE,
MSE). Due to the intensely interdisciplinary nature of energy-related research, it is critical that
search committees represent these disciplines.
The hiring plan has been developed with significant consultation with the core faculty
members of the cluster. Specifically, we have gathered input from the faculty about how the
proposed cluster would impact just their careers, with the objective of better understanding what
interactions will occur as a result of the cluster hire. Here we provide some selected inputs from
our core team that has guided the development of the proposed cluster:
Ali Raissi (FSEC, Advanced Energy Research Division (AERD))
It is a well-known fact that properties of the catalyst’s surface affect performance and the
surface electronic structure determines the catalytic properties… Interaction between FSEC and
faculty with expertise in the computer-based design of catalysts will greatly enhance and
strengthen AERD’s research activities in the general areas of renewable energy production and
storage and increase our chances of obtaining future federal research dollars.
Bill Kaden (Physics)
The addition of new collaborators working in the areas of heterogeneous catalysis with
emphases in applied benchtop and industrial scale-up reactor studies will synergistically
strengthen the viability of my research and thereby enhance my likelihood of winning federal
grants on behalf of UCF.
Paul Brooker (FSEC)
An experimentalist who is able to create novel oxygen reduction or hydrogen oxidation catalysts
(as defined by computer modeling) would greatly enhance FSEC’s fuel cell research.… Novel
7 catalysts, identified through computer modeling and synthesized by the new cluster hire, could
be evaluated using FSEC’s flow battery system.
Fernando Uribe-Romo (Chemistry)
Collaboration with a scale-up engineer would allow a practical understanding on the larger
scale production of highly designed porous materials for potential commercial use, either in
solar photocatalysis, energy harvesting, or electrocatalysis.
Finally, it should be noted that we anticipate some flexibility in the specific hiring areas. This
might depend arise based on input (e.g. possibly from our first proposed senior hire) that comes
after the cluster is selected for Provost support. The important factor is to continue to reevaluate,
in consultation with the entire team, what kinds of faculty would result in the largest
complementary impact.
Salary estimates and start-up costs
The senior hire proposed would be at the associate to full professor level, and it would be
expected that the nine-month salary would be ~$100-120K/year. . For the other four positions,
probably predominantly assistant-professor hires, we estimate a salary ~$80K/year. The total
salary commitment from UCF is then about $420-440K/year.
The estimated total start-up costs for the 5 faculty are ~$3M. This is then ~$600K per
faculty, with a significant share going towards development of a shared collaborative lab that
might serve the needs of other faculty at UCF, including those already in the cluster. As noted
elsewhere, the plan to attract top faculty includes this very competitive start-up package, plus
leveraging of existing research facilities and equipment from FSEC and the Materials
Characterization Facility (MCF).
Space needs
In the short term, research space for the new faculty might be found in the PSB building,
which houses both Physics and Chemistry departments. A typical hire requirement would be 1-2
600 sq. ft. labs, which have generally been fitted with hoods for chemistry research. Over a
longer term, we propose housing the new faculty in lab space in the Interdisciplinary Research
Building for 2017 and beyond. Some of the equipment that might be of general use for energyrelated research could be located there for shared use within the interdisciplinary cluster. As
noted below, some useful equipment already purchased by FSEC could be relocated for general
use by cluster faculty. Finally, FSEC has 5000 sq. ft. of laboratory space available at its own
facility which currently houses some of the most important pieces of equipment, and would be
available for use by the new hires, or at least used by FSEC scientists in collaborative work
within the cluster.
Attracting the most promising faculty to UCF
In planning our proposed cluster hires, we have placed an emphasis on how to maximize that
attractiveness of UCF to prospective hires. Specifically, the Physics Department at UCF is
recognized as an important player in computational catalysis and surface science research. FSEC
is a recognized leader in several energy-research areas (e.g. fuel cells, hydrogen, solar PV, etc),
with demonstrated ability to lead large efforts. We believe that this will be extremely attractive to
future hires who want to conduct research in a university environment, supervise students, but
also have the possibility of playing a role or even leading large-scale research projects in
8 collaboration with FSEC. Moreover, FSEC employs several non-tenured scientists, who are
themselves extremely accomplished people, who can be important collaborators for future
faculty hires. Finally, grants run through FSEC might also be used to support UCF graduate
students supervised by faculty hired into the cluster. This mechanism has been used successfully
by FSEC to support graduate students, but here we propose that it should be used as a way to
make UCF attractive to future hires.
Below, we describe other aspects of our plan to leverage existing strengths and resources at
UCF, in addition to competitive start-up packages, that will enhance our ability to hire top
candidates to UCF.
Enhancing research capacity, leverage existing facilities and equipment, and shared research
space
To maximize our ability to attract top faculty hires, we have developed a plan to leverage
existing facilities and equipment, in addition to equipment purchased in competitive start-up
packages. In order to maximize interaction and collaboration between new and existing members
of the cluster, including their students, equipment that is broadly applicable to several
researchers will be located in shared space. Some shared equipment may be located at FSEC,
while some may be relocated on campus at the new Interdisciplinary Research Building (IRB). A
model for equipment support to enable shared interests has been pursued in the past by FSEC.
Specifically, the cluster leader Orlovskaya uses fuel-cell test stands originally purchased by
FSEC in her laboratory on campus. Similar arrangements are envisioned for future hires.
Cluster core members of the cluster have key equipment that may be used in collaboration
with new faculty. These include Uribe-Romo, Kaden, and Tetard. In the appendix, we list some
of the equipment already here at UCF that can be used in collaborative cluster projects, including
FSEC equipment that might be used to augment starting packages and potentially be moved to
campus. We will also explore potential opportunities for large equipment grants emerging from
the cluster hire. Some additional equipment that would be broadly useful for the cluster would
include a scanning electrochemical microscope, which might be part of a startup package. We
will develop a plan for maintenance costs, which may involve some combination of user fees
(e.g. typical of clean rooms around campus, and also the MCF) and also overhead funds
generated from grants. Larger equipment may require separate consideration, and some
equipment likely will remain within the labs of individual faculty (e.g. as part of the their startup
packages).
Establish a symposium series and “Virtual Energy-Research Institute”
We plan to establish a “Virtual Energy Research Institute” (VERI), and begin the symposium
series in Summer 2015 (whether the proposed cluster hire is successful or not) starting with the
core members describing their own research interests. The core team has toured FSEC facilities
and had numerous discussions, but continued discussions will be critical in the next few months.
In Fall 2015, we plan to begin inviting external speakers that might lead to candidates for the
cluster hires. We have already had extensive discussions about the potential hires (especially
between the Physics Department and FSEC), and we believe that a symposium series would be
an effective way to facilitate these interactions. Speakers might themselves be potential hires, or
more likely their students and postdocs.
The symposium series addresses another obstacle for interactions between campus faculty
and FSEC. Specifically, the fact that FSEC is a 40-minute drive from the main UCF campus
9 creates an additional challenge. We will take advantage of new remote conferencing equipment
in the UCF physics department that was originally funded by NASA for the CLASS SSERVI at
UCF. This is used mainly in the Physics Department and FSI to support CLASS activities, but is
generally available to all faculty in the Physics Department. Similar facilities exist at FSEC.
Enabled by Adobe Connect software, the system allows for remote participation in talks. It is
even convenient to have the presenter located remotely (e.g. using his/her own desktop
computer). The talks will be recorded and archived. As an example of this, please see the
archived FSI seminars (http://fsi.ucf.edu/seminars/). In addition to connecting FSEC better with
campus, this idea can serve to connect any energy-related research to the entire campus and
beyond.
By developing VERI, we will establish an effective tool to collaborate across institutions,
and effectively lead the kinds of large proposal initiatives and projects that we envision.
Moreover, by making our seminars available on the web interface, the activities of the cluster
will be extremely visible both within and outside of UCF.
Recruitment plan
The recruitment plan is based first on effective leveraging the strengths of UCF to make the
positions as attractive as we can. To attract a top senior hire, we will offer the opportunity to play
a role in the future direction and hiring in the cluster along with the existing Steering Committee
(see appendix). Other aspects to recruit top faculty include elements described previously,
including leveraging shared space and existing equipment, and the strength of interactions
between FSEC and the tenure-earning faculty on Campus, facilitated by the Virtual Energy
Research Institute (VERI).
The Steering Committee will work to draft the advertisement for placement in the relevant
chemistry, engineering, and physics journals, and identify members of the Search Committee(s).
Representation on the Search Committee(s) will include representation from each relevant
department and center.
Increase scholarly and creative works and ensure interdisciplinary publications
The cluster will increase collaborative scholarly works beyond the increase to be expected by
adding five new tenure-earning lines. The research areas proposed are highly interdisciplinary.
The energy research proposed will be directed in part by physics-based models, but the results
are largely applicable to areas traditionally in the chemistry discipline. Many of the publications
from the core group within the Physics Department are already found in what are usually
considered to be chemistry journals. By more effectively linking fundamental work to
engineering efforts and applications, the breadth of journals spanned by our work will be
enhanced, and the number of collaborative articles will increase.
The science focus of the hires and the group will benefit from interactions with an external
Scientific Advisory Committee. The people we plan to involve on this committee represent top
Universities, National Labs, and industry. The current list includes: Mark Barteau (U. Mich.),
Tony Heinz (Columbia), Ulrike Diebold (U. Vienna), Michael Henderson (PNNL), and Susan
Vogel (Saint-Gobain Advanced Ceramics Corporation).
10 Appendix I.
Leadership and organizational plan
The leadership of the cluster will consist of a Steering Committee with the cluster leads,
(Schelling, Orlovskaya), along with representation from FSEC/MSE (Fenton), CATER/MAE
(Kapat), Chemistry (Uribe-Romo), and Physics (Rahman). We anticipate that the steering
committee will also involve the senior hire as soon as possible. The primary goal of the steering
committee will be to guide the direction of future hires. The Steering Committee will work with
potential hiring departments (most likely Physics, Chemistry, MSE, and MAE), department
Chairs, and college Deans to identify potential candidates for future hires. Finally, it is also
anticipated that the steering committee will identify and lead in larger grant proposals.
The leadership will also include a broader Technical and Program Committee, which will be
comprised of all cluster faculty, and potentially others. The role of this committee will be to
develop a working model for shared space within the IRB, including shared equipment, as
described below, with the objective of facilitating interactions and leveraging existing resources
for future hires.
With the collaboration and support of Department Chairs, the Technical and Program
Committee will work to develop interdisciplinary curriculum to support activities in the cluster.
Some of these areas have been outlined earlier in the proposal, and are currently the topic of an
NSF-NRT proposal being prepared by the Physics Department (PI Rahman). Depending on how
this goes, it may make sense to spin off a separate Curriculum Committee to support future
directions for curriculum development.
Finally, we plan to develop an Industrial Consortium to advise the technical direction of the
cluster, and to best connect the work of the cluster with interested industrial partners. The
directions for future hires will be developed by the Steering Committee in consultation with the
Industrial Consortium. We have several avenues and contacts available to develop this aspect of
our plan. Specifically, we will interact with Dan Holladay who leads similar activities at
ICAMR, and who participated as a team member in the UCF led “BEST Storage Hub” proposal.
We will also build on the current model used by PV Manufacturing Consortium and Fuel Cell
Membrane Program at FSEC. At FSEC, Fenton will help lead in this area, including identifying
industry partners. Finally, we will use existing contacts and partners who interact with CATER
as members of our Industrial Consortium (e.g. see Fig. 2).
Structured in this way, the leadership and organizational plan will involve all major
stakeholders best positioned to provide direction to the cluster. Future funding will be secured by
developing a plan for shared space and resources, as well as a plan for large proposals to major
agencies. By making best use of our industry contacts and developing the Industrial Consortium,
we will maximize our impact on the local economy, identify the most promising research
directions, and potentially even find industrial funding sources that will be essential to the
success of the new faculty and the cluster at large. Finally, by structuring the plan in this way, we
will be able to address future needs of local industry, which will be critical for placing
graduating students (at all levels) after graduation.
II.
Relevant past funding and projects, and potential future funding sources
CATER (Center for Advanced Turbomachinery and Energy Research) – The funding that lead
to CATER started with NASA Glenn Research Center funding of $2.76M. Several UCF faculty
participated in this effort, including Schelling and Kapat. The center was awarded $1.7M in 2008
from the Florida Board of Governors as a State Center of Excellence. This was followed by
11 $640K from AFRL, and $350K from the FAA Center for Excellence in Commercial Space
Transportation. As a result of this success in obtaining external funding, CATER was officially
formed as a center under the College of Engineering in 2012. Since 2012, funding for CATER
has included strong connectivity and interaction with industry, including GE, Siemens, Florida
Turbine Technologies, and Pratt and Whitney to name a few, with a strong pipeline for graduate
employment. At time of the latest annual assessment: 49 undergraduate and 58 graduate research
assistants (with 24 and 10, respectively, from the underrepresented groups) are being specially
trained in the various research laboratories affiliated with CATER. Kapat is the founder and
current director of CATER. Several UCF faculty are affiliated with CATER, including Sumathi,
Raghavan, Gou, and Mackie.
DOE-High Temp Membrane for PEM Fuel Cells – Fenton was the PI and lead of this $19
million ($3 million to UCF) 5 year project involving BekkTech LLC, Scribner, Giner Inc., Fuel
Cell Energy, Colorado School of Mines, Case Western Reserve University, Vanderbilt
University, University of Tennessee, Penn State University, Arizona State University, and
Clemson University, to develop novel membranes for PEM fuel cells. Fenton also was the
Technical Lead of the U.S. DOE’s High Temperature Membrane Working Group (HTMWG)
(http://energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/high-temperature-membrane-working-group).
Brooker was
heavily involved in this activity, applying electrodes to the membranes and testing their
performance in a standardized performance test.
DOE-U.S. Photovoltaic Manufacturing Consortium (PVMC) – The PVMC is an industry-led
consortium for cooperative R&D among industry, university, and government partners to
accelerate the development, commercialization, manufacturing, field testing and deployment of
next-generation solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. UCF’s FSEC manages the $10M dedicated to
the c-Si PVMC programs and activities within the PVMC, currently with 14 collaborative
projects being carried out in collaboration across the c-Si PVMC member base. There are
currently 39 members in the PVMC, 12 specifically signed up for the c-Si activities, with more
than 50 additional collaborative and non-member participants. Members and participants span
the entire supply chain (e.g., cell/module manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, materials
suppliers), with c-Si PVMC members currently offering greater than $500K per year of cash and
in-kind support to collaborative consortium projects. It is potentially a critical element of a new
UCF manufacturing center initiative in Osceola County. FSEC was awarded $10 M in DOE,
UCF and Industry funds, to run c-Si PVMC for five years starting September 1, 2011.
http://www.uspvmc.org/technology_csi_PVMC.html
DOE-EFRC (Energy Frontier Research Center)
This was an unsuccessful UCF proposal lead by Talat Rahman in the area of computationallyguided catalyst development (Tailoring Properties of Two-Dimensional Defect and Hybrid
Materials for Catalysis). This was a very large proposal that included participants at other US
institutions, including UC Riverside, U. Nebraska, SUNY Stony Brook, ORNL, BNL, USC,
Duke, and Northwestern University. Several members of the cluster team were also part of the
EFRC proposal, including Orlovskaya, Brooker, Kara, and Sumathi. The UCF budget for this
proposal was for approximately four years with $2400K each year. The proposed cluster hire
would bring many important pieces to UCF to help the chances of success, and would strengthen
the local effort and make the proposal less dependent on external collaboration and more
convincing to the DOE.
12 Battery and Electrochemical Storage Technology (BEST) Hub. This was a large proposal to
DOE led by UCF’s FSEC with several academic, national lab, and industry partners. The theme
of the proposal was energy storage and conversion, with focus areas including fuel cells, flow
batteries, electrochemical capacitors, and metal-air batteries for storage of energy. Specifically,
the BEST Hub was to: Create a Bell Laboratories type facility that promotes face to face as well
as virtual collaboration; Engage and integrate the best and brightest minds from Universities,
National Labs, and Industry; Encourage high risk/high reward research; Expand the base of
scientific
and
engineering
fundamentals
underpinning electrochemical approaches to energy
storage while producing the next generation
workforce; Ensure wide dissemination of research
results; Develop paths to rapid commercialization
of new technologies. While the proposal was
unsuccessful, it was extremely competitive, and
demonstrated the ability of UCF to organize and
lead a large effort involving top institutions.
Ultimately this type of large effort would be helped
by better integration of campus activities with
FSEC, and also bring more research money to Figure 4 Partners for the UCF-led BEST
campus to support cluster faculty members. The proposal to DOE, including academic
partners in the BEST proposal are shown institutions and Nation Labs, and an
graphically in Fig. 4.
industrial consortium.
NSF-DMREF
(Designing
Materials
to
Revolutionize and Engineer Our Future)
Two proposals recently went to this program from NSF, including one from Rahman and one
from Schelling (DMREF: Collaborative Research: Computationally-Driven Design of Nanoscale
Interconnect Materials, $770K). Both pending proposals focus on materials discovery via
computational approaches, including iterative approaches with experimental design. Schelling’s
pending grant is to work with experimental groups at UCF and Columbia to identify new
materials for metallic interconnects. Rahman’s pending proposal is particularly relevant for the
proposed cluster hire.
NSF-IPP (Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships)
Orlovskaya had one past and one active project from IPP (I-Corps: Robust and Efficient Solid
Oxide Fuel Cells for Clean Energy Generation, $50,000, 10.01.12-03.31.13. The project was
devoted to learning on how to commercialize the energy conversion technology of efficient and
robust solid oxide fuel cells developed in the PI’s Laboratory of Ceramics for Energy
Conversion. The CeraPower, UCF spin out company was formed as an outcome of the
performed project. Another currently active IPP project (AIR Option 1: Technology Translation Superadiabatic Combustion in Porous Media for Efficient Heat Production, $150,000, 09.01.1308.28.15). The idea originated from the previous I-Corps project and is now moving to the next
state for development of the prototype water heater.
DOE (Kara, Rahman)
Kara has a current grant from the DOE ($500K) to study the adsorption of organic molecules on
metal surfaces. This has direct implications and relevance for the development of organic solar
13 cells. Rahman has had more than one grant from DOE over the past several years that are
relevant to the cluster hire (Controlling Structural, Electronic, and Energy Flow Dynamics of
Catalytic Processes Through Tailored Nanostructures. $600K per year to UCF; Theoretical and
computational studies of functional nanoalloy and other nanomaterials, $405K for three years).
Total funding to Rahman since 2007 is over 5 million dollars.
Energy Whiz Olympics. FSEC has many outreach activities, including the Energy Whiz
Olympics offered to K-12 students. In addition to serving an important educational mission, this
would be an area that cluster faculty at UCF could become more involved with, including for
new faculty to include with NSF-CAREER proposals.
III. Leveraging existing resources
In addition to competitive startup packages, we expect to leverage existing facilities and
equipment at UCF to attract top candidates to the new positions. Some of this equipment is
currently at FSEC, but we will explore relocating some items to shared space in the IRB. This
will generate a centralized facility, broadly usable by the cluster and other faculty, and generate a
shared space for communication and interaction. Some equipment that might attract faculty
include:
FSEC: Perkin Elmer Diamond TG/DTA-MS; Altamira AMI 200 TPD/MS; Perkin-Elmer
Spectrum 100 FTIR with Universal ATR Accessory (UATR), Shimadzu UV/VIS; Rotating Disc
Electrode (RDE); Dionex DX 500 Gradient Ion Chromatograph/ HPLC (cation and anion
columns available); Perkin Elmer Diamond Differential Scanning Calorimeter; Multiple Scribner
850C fuel cell test stands; 8-channel Membrane Electrode Assembly Durability Test Station
(MEADS); Electrode application capabilities; Multiple potentiostats; Ball-mill; Light source (for
photocatalysis using a standard light spectrum).
Chemistry (Uribe-Romo Lab): Micromeritics ASAP2020 with water vapor adsorption
capability; Rigaku Miniflex Powder X-ray Diffractometer; CH-Instruments Bipotentiostat
Galvanostat with AC capabilities; MBraun Ar-filled glovebox (for Li-battery research); 300 W
Xe-lamp.
Physics (Kaden Lab): 30 ft3 Ar-filled glove-box; Custom-built multi-chambered UHV surfacescience apparatus; Specs dual-anode X-ray photoemission spectroscopy; Specs tunable ion gun
for low energy ion scattering spectroscopy, sputtering, and depth-profiling analysis; Stanford
Research Systems residual gas analyzer 0-200 AMU mass-spectrometer for surface reactivity
studies; RHK Pan-Freedom continuous flow low temperature (~15 K) scanning tunneling/atomic
force microscope/spectrometer for sub-atomic-scale surface analysis.
CATER: Micro-turbine for fuel testing; CT X-ray; Fuel coking rig for thermal stability
characterization; Fuel distillation rig Cyclic oven for long-term thermal stability of fuels
NSTC (Tetard lab/shared facilities): Witec AFM Raman Confocal microscope Alpha 300AR;
Visible lasers (514nm, 532nm, 405nm, 633nm); fiber coupled solar simulator and
monochromator; IR black body light source; Multimode and Dimension 3100 shared NSTC
AFM facility including conductive AFM and electrostatic force microscopy.
14 UCF Faculty Cluster Initiative
BioSketch_v3
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Provide the following information for all the core cluster personnel. Follow this format for each person.
DO NOT EXCEED TWO PAGES PER INVESTIGATOR.
NAME: Patrick Schelling
Cluster Lead: Yes
Associate Professor, Physics and AMPAC, College of Sciences:
EDUCATION/TRAINING (Begin with baccalaureate or other initial professional education,
include postdoctoral training if applicable. Add/delete rows as necessary.)
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION
University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
Argonne National Lab
Completion
Date
YEAR
DEGREE
(if applicable)
BS
PhD
1992
1999
2003
FIELD OF STUDY
Physics
Physics
Materials
Science
(postdoc)
NOTE: The Biographical Sketch may not exceed two pages. Follow the formats and
instructions below.
A. Personal Statement- your value to the cluster
My work is in computational materials physics, including areas closely related to MGI type
research. My focus, in contrast to other computational people in physics and elsewhere at UCF,
has focused primarily on transport phenomena. This is complementary to the expertise of some
of the other faculty in the core, and highly relevant, because all practical devices involve
transport of matter (ions, electrons, etc), as well as heat.
I have also worked on surface science and catalysis. This includes research related to
electrochemical phenomena, where we have develop quantum-dynamical models of wateroxide interfaces that are unique.
B. Contribution to Scholarship and Creative Activities
Since 2008, I have been awarded as PI two major grants from NSF, both in materials –related
research. I have also lead a NSF-REU initiative supported by NSF at UCF. I have significant
collaborations with UCF faculty in areas of evolution of metal alloys (Sohn, MSE), planetary
science (Britt), and electron transport in metallic nanowires (Coffey and Mucciolo).
My primary contributions are quantitative modeling of transport phenomena. I have developed
the first practical method to compute thermodiffusion coefficients in materials. I have also
developed a program in linking computational methods to surface chemistry and defect
evolution related to planetary science.
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C. Evidence of Impact & Support
I have been supported by two major NSF grants, both from DMR. For the current grant (NSFDMR $390K), I am the PI and Sohn is a coPI. In my previous grant (NSF-DMR $150K), I was
the sole PI. These works have generated ~10 publications in top journals by Schelling, and two
invited talks at international meetings.
My work on transport theory has lead to numerous papers, including one that has over 500
citations and represents a key work in using molecular simulation for heat transport. I have also
developed the only practical computational technique for computation of thermodiffusion
transport parameters, which has been an unsolved problem for over 50 years.
We have developed the first method to use empirical potentials to simulate the interaction of
lasers at very high power with materials, specifically silicon. We demonstrated how first-order
phase explosion may occur, even during a high degree of electronic excitation, which was a
new observation that has generated some attention and an invited talk at athe HPLA/BEP
meeting in New Mexico last year.
I have been the PI or coPI on two grants from the Semiconductor Research Foundation, both
with Kevin Coffey. These have lead to one important paper that has demonstrated systematic
deviations of experiment from simple theories, which has subsequently lead to a major proposal
to NSF-DMREF.
Locally, I have been supported by the Florida Space Institute in two small grants, in
collaboration with Dan Britt. These grants have led so far to one publication, several
presentations including at the Lunary and Planetary Science Conference. One important impact
that we have had is to suggest a new mechanism for the generation of organic molecules on
asteroid surfaces due to space weathering phenomena. Currently we are waiting final word on a
NASA proposal to the astrobiology program.
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
NAME: Talat S. Rahman
Cluster Lead: (yes or no)no
DO NOT EXCEED TWO PAGES PER INVESTIGATOR.
POSITION TITLE, DEPT, & UNIT and or COLLEGE: Chair, Distinguished Professor, Physics
EDUCATION/TRAINING (Begin with baccalaureate or other initial professional education,
Karachi University
BS (Hons)
Completion
FIELD OF STUDY
Date
YEAR
1969
Physics
Islamabad University
MS
1970
Physics
University of Rochester
PhD
1977
Physics
University of California –Irvine
postdoc
1977-1979
Surface Physics
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION
DEGREE
(if applicable)
A. Personal Statement- your value to the cluster
My unique value to the cluster can be traced to the following:
• extensive record of interdisciplinary research in catalysis and functional materials
• strong collaborations with some of the leading experimentalists in field
• sustained funding from Chemistry, Physics and Materials divisions of NSF and DOE
• invited to DOE panels which led to the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI)
• 2014-15 program chair for American Vacuum Society’s focused sessions on MGI
• served on panel at the MGI Western Regional Workshop, Los Angeles, April 2014
• served on many DOE and NSF panels evaluating proposals for establishing centers for
catalysis and rational material design.
• mentor to a large number of graduate students and post-docs, several of whom have
succeeded in pursuing interdisciplinary or non-academic physics careers.
While the cluster proposal “Rational Material Design” is the result of synergistic interactions of a
good number of participants, I would take some credit for sowing its seeds through 8 years of
discussions with colleagues at UCF. Soon after arrival, I was able to assemble a good group of
UCF scientists and engineers to submit a preproposal for an NSF Material Engineering and
Science Research Center (MRSEC) in 2007. I was part of another interdisciplinary MRSEC
effort in 2010, led by Dr. Seal. In 2014, motivated by being on a review panel (2009) on the first
round of DOE Energy Frontier Center (EFRC) on Catalysis, I assembled another team (several
are in the present cluster) to submit an EFRC proposal to DOE. The lessons that I have learned
from the written reviews of these proposals and discussions with NSF and DOE program
managers is that we do not have the optimal size of core researchers in the area of catalysis to
win a Center proposal. The cluster proposal is based to some extent on our 2014 EFRC
proposal, since the five faculty members that we hope to hire would cover the holes that we were
faced with. I am a firm believer in interdisciplinary research and education as a result of the
tremendous progress that I have witnessed in my years of working in the very interdisciplinary
area of surface science which eventually led to the revolution of nanoscience and technology.
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B. Contribution to Scholarship and Creative Activities
250 publications; present about 12-14 invited talks per year at conferences and academic
institutions worldwide; students/post-docs present > 30 contributed talks and posters per year
Five Selected Publications:
1. S. Islamuddin Shah, S. Hong and T.S. Rahman, “A Combined DFT+KMC Study of
Selective Oxidation of NH3 on rutile RuO2 (110) at Ambient Pressures,” J. Chem. Phys. C
118, 5226 (2014).
2. E. A. Lewis, D. Le, A. D. Jewell, C. J. Murphy, T. S. Rahman, and E. C. H. Sykes,
“Segregation of Fischer-Tropsch Reactants on Cobalt Nanoparticle Surfaces,” Chem.
Commun.50, 6537 (2014).
3. V. A. Kazakova, A. S. Wu, and T. S. Rahman, “Cluster energy optimizing genetic
algorithm,” GECCO '13 Proceedings of the 15th annual conference on Genetic and
evolutionary computation, Pages 1317-1324 (2013); doi:10.1145/2463372.2463536.
4. S. I. Shah, G. Nandipati, A. Kara, and T. S. Rahman, "Self-diffusion of small Ni clusters
Ni(111): A self-learning kinetic Monte Carlo study," Phys. Rev. B 88, 035414 (2013).
5. 199S. Stolbov, M. Alcantara Ortigoza and T. S. Rahman, “Application of density
functional theory to CO tolerance in fuel cells: a review,” J. Phys. Conden. Matt. 21, 474226
(2009).
I am also engaged in pedagogical reforms in the teaching of undergraduate physics courses, a
project funded partially by NSF. I am the site leader for a PhysTEC Comprehensive grant from
the American Physical Society which aims to increase the number of physics majors who seek
careers in education. I am also site leader for the Bridge Program grant of the American Physical
Society which aims at enhancing the number of PhD students from under-represented minorities.
Since1998 I have helped organize workshops on Nanoscience at the annual International
Nathiagali Summer College, Pakistan, which was started by Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam.
C. Evidence of Impact & Support
Pegasus Professor 2012; UCF Research Incentive Award, 2011; Higuchi Endowment Research
Award, University of Kansas, 2002, Fellow of the American Physical Society (1998); UCFMillionaires Club 2011-12; 2012-13.
TOTAL CITATIONS: 5678 HIRSCH INDEX: 41 from ~ 250 publications (Google Scholar)
TOTAL CITATIONS: 4394 HIRSCH INDEX: 36 from ~ 205 publications (Web of Science)
Current Funding:
1) “Controlling Structural, Electronic, and Energy Flow Dynamics of Catalytic Processes Through
Tailored Nanostructure, DOE $ 600,000 (with L. Bartels as Co-PI); 09/15/13 – 09/14/15
2) “Theoretical and computational studies of functional nanoalloy and other nanomaterials,” DOE,
$405,000, 01/15/2012 to 01/14/2015
3) “US-Pakistan:36th International Nathiagali Summer College oh Physics and Contemporary Needs:
Islamabad, Pakistan, NSF, $40,000; 06/01/11 – 05/31/16
4) TUES: Active Learning Strategies for Algebra-based Introductory Physics Courses, NSF,
$199,972, 05/01/13-06/30/15
5) “Surface Coordination Chemistry: Toward Novel Functionality via Understanding Substrate Change
Transfer and Oxidation State, NSF, $268,000, 6/1/2013-5/31/2016
6) “UCF PhysTEC (Physics Teacher Education Coalition) Comprehensive Site, American Physical
Society, $320,000.00, 8/1/2013-7/31/2016
7) “UCF Bridge to PhD Program,” American Physical Society, $300,000, 8/1/2015-7/31/2018
Total External Funds credited to me at UCF 7/1/2007 – present $5,936,867 (Aurora).
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UCF Faculty Cluster Initiative
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Provide the following information for all the core cluster personnel. Follow this format for each person.
DO NOT EXCEED TWO PAGES PER INVESTIGATOR.
NAME: Jay Kapat
Cluster Lead: No
Lockheed Martin Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, CECS
EDUCATION/TRAINING
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION
Indian Institute of
Technology Kharagpur
Arizona State University
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology
DEGREE
(if applicable)
B.Tech.
(Hons)
MS
Sc.D.
Completion
Date
YEAR
FIELD OF STUDY
1992
Mechanical E.
1988
1991
Mechanical E.
Mechanical E.
A. Personal Statement- your value to the cluster
My personal research is on thermal-fluids sciences as related to engines for power generation
and aero/space-propulsion. Specifically my research activities involve cycle optimization of newer
types of thermodynamic cycles for power generation turbines, aviation engines and rocket
engines; compatibility and characterization of alternative fuels such as biofuels; fluid mechanics
and heat transfer as related to advanced cooling of hot section components of those engines.
There has been significant interest on producing alternative fuels from different non-petroleum
feedstock in our efforts for a cleaner environment. However, in order to have market acceptability
of these fuels, the fuels must be drop-in replacement of conventional fuels and the production
process must be scalable in order to meet the demand. My past research has shown that neither
seems to be the case. For example, as many promising alternative fuels are produced by
biochemists with very similar, but not identical, molecular structures, thermal degradation of those
fuels make them very poorly performing in actual engines. Such problems can only be addressed
by proper collaboration between scientists with expertise in catalytic processes used to produce
those fuels and engineers, such as myself, who work on the performance evaluation and
characterization of those fuels in a real engine. Another example from a recently concluded Air
Force project on Algal Biofuel for Aviation was that the fuel was produced at the rate of one gallon
per week in a laboratory-scale reactor, whereas even a small table-top engine will consume 10
gallons every hour. Thus the production is process impractically slow to be useful for any
meaningful investigation.
My work will greatly complement, and enhance the productivity of, new faculty members with
research expertise in catalysis for alternative fuels and scale-up engineering for catalytic
processes. My laboratory equipment on various types of characterization of fuels will be valuable
to, and be available for, these new hires. In addition, I am a member of the nation-wide coalition
CAAFI (Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative), which will bring networking value to
these new faculty members and help them to be successful in research and student placement
faster.
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UCF Faculty Cluster Initiative
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B. Contribution to Scholarship and Creative Activities
Publication and Patents: 1 book chapter, 60+174 papers in journals and peer-reviewed
conference proceedings, respectively. 12 patents have been issued; another 8 applications and
several disclosures are pending.
Past Research Supervision
Doctoral (15) & Post-Doctoral Graduates:
Dr. Julie Hao, Faculty, Old Dominion Univ
Dr. David Lu (VP, GEAR Solar),
Dr. Ahmad Sleiti, Faculty, Embry Riddle AU
Dr. Wayne Finger, VP, RS&H – Aero/Defense Dr. Mark Ricklick, Faculty, Embry Riddle AU
Dr. Sylvette Rodriguez, Coleman AerospaceDr. Umit Kursun, Faculty, Istanbul U., Turkey
Dr. Eric Pu, Siemens Energy
Dr. Quan Liu, Siemens Energy
Dr. Vaidy Krishnan, Siemens Energy
Dr. Johan Westin, Siemens Energy
Dr. Humberto Zuniga, Siemens Energy
Dr. Jared Pent, Siemens Energy
Dr. Jeff Nguyen, Honeywell Aerospace
Dr. Xiaoyi Li, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Dr. John Ling , Alstom Power
Dr. Sanjeev Bharani, Caterpillar
Dr. Shashi Verma, National Aeronautics Laboratory, India
MS Graduates: 39, of whom 25 stayed in Florida and are engaged in high-technology engineering
career. BS HIM Graduates: 14, of whom 3 have received the University-wide Best HIM Thesis
Awards. All have progressed to higher studies, mostly at UCF.
Current Research Supervision: Currently supervising 2 Research Scientists, 14 Ph.D. (David
Canon, Greg Natsui, Srikrishna Mahadevan, Mahmood Moghagheghi, Ahmad Saleh, Ankur
Deshmukh, Jan Marsh, Jahed Hossain, Barkin Kutlu, Lumaya Ahmed, Marcel Otto, K. “Ravi”
RaviKiran, Lucky Tran, Andres Curbelo), 9 MS (Justin Hodges, Cassandra Carpenter, Joshua
Schmitt, Malay Shah, Joseph Tate, John Harrington, Craig Fernandes, Zackary Little, Chris
Vergos, Alex Hanhold), 3 HIM students (Charlotte Pearce, Jonathan Winn, Marc Medina, Itza
Beltran), 10 UG students (Brandon Ealy, Patrick Tran, M. Tyler Voet, Daniel Gonzalez, Gera
Versfeld, Chris Doty, Chris Garrett, Jorge Ruiz, Christopher Klink).
C. Evidence of Impact & Support
Research Sponsorship Record: Total
received: $20.6M, with individual credit of
$14.3M (of which, as PI of external
grants: $11.6M). Funds are from NASA,
Siemens, AFRL, FAA, FCAAP, Lockheed
Martin, Rini Technologies, US Army,
FHTC, GE, Alstom. The above student
placement record indicates the significant
positive impact of external research sponsorship.
Professional / Synergistic Activities: Founding Director, Center for Advanced
Turbomachinery and Energy Research (CATER); Associate Director, Florida Center for
Advanced Aero-Propulsion (FCAAP), funded by FL BOG; Executed broad-based partnership
agreement with Siemens Energy, Alstom Power, GE, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Embraer, with active
sponsorship from each; Agreement with Pratt & Whitney is underway; Siemens Energy has
contributed to create Siemens Energy Center (SEC) facility, which is now designated with a
preferred facility status by Siemens, and has provided $4.1M to UCF as C&G awards since July
1, 2008 (creation of SEC); UCF PI on the 9-university consortium, co-led by Stanford University
and New Mexico State University, FAA Center of Excellence on Commercial Space
Transportation; Member, Gas Turbine Heat Transfer Committee, ASME; Member, AIAA Gas
Turbine Engine Technical Committee.
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UCF Faculty Cluster Initiative
BioSketch_v3
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Provide the following information for all the core cluster personnel. Follow this format for each person.
DO NOT EXCEED TWO PAGES PER INVESTIGATOR.
NAME: Nina Orlovskaya
Cluster Lead: No
POSITION TITLE, DEPT, & UNIT and or COLLEGE: Associate Professor, Department of
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, CECS
EDUCATION/TRAINING
DEGREE
(if applicable)
Completion
Date
YEAR
Kiev Polytechnic Institute, Ukraine
BS/MS
1984
Ceramics
National Academy of Sciences,
Ukraine
PhD
1993
Materials Science
University of Vienna, Austria
Postdoc
1997
Fracture Mechanics
Norwegian University of Science and
Technology, Norway
Postdoc
1999
Fuel Cells
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION
FIELD OF STUDY
A. Personal Statement- your value to the cluster
I work intensively in the field of energy conversion where catalytically and electrochemically
active ceramic materials play a very important and often major role in design and development
of fuel cells, combustors, oxygen separation membranes and chemical sensors. In my
Laboratory of Ceramics for Energy Applications at the Department of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering we work on synthesis of novel ceramic materials which possess strong
catalytic and electrochemical properties to be used as cathodes, anodes, and electrolytes in
Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, or could be used as catalysts for enhancement of superadiabatic
heterogeneous combustion, or they could be used for oxygen separation or as chemical
sensors for oxygen content in the environment. We also work on the manufacturing and testing
of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells for efficient energy conversion and we developed in the lab a module
for design and testing of porous combustors for cheap heat generation. Thus, in my laboratory
we could produce materials and devices for energy conversion, however the specific and badly
needed knowledge and experience for the design and testing of active catalysts, for example for
oxygen reduction or fuel oxidation, is lacking. Thus, I bring a strong value to the proposed
cluster in the experimental research on energy conversion materials and devices, but need to
have a strong collaboration with theoreticians and experimentalists focusing on the specific
scientific problems of discovery, design and development of active catalysts, concentrating on
chemistry of catalytically active surfaces, explaining the mechanisms of the oxygen reduction or
fuel oxidation on catalytically active surfaces – which would help bringing strong interdisciplinary
team to work together in the field of catalysts.
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UCF Faculty Cluster Initiative
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B. Contribution to Scholarship and Creative Activities
I have established numerous collaboration with a number of faculty both at the University of
Central Florida and at the national and international level. I have established very productive
collaboration with the Department of Chemistry where a number of ceramic compositions were
successfully synthesized with three new phases are being currently patented by the IP office. I
have an extensive collaboration on electrochemically active ceramics with scientists both at the
US universities, such as Texas A&M University and University of South Carolina, and at the
national laboratories, such as Oak Ridge National Laboratory in TN. I spend a summer 2009 at
National Energy Technology Laboratory as a Summer Faculty supported by the Department of
Energy ORISE fund to perform research on electrochemical performance of Solid Oxide Fuel
Cells manufactured in my Laboratory of Ceramics for Energy Applications. I collaborate with
Ecole Federale Polytechnique de Lausanne, Switzerland, where I spent my sabbatical in 20132014 as a Visiting Professor, as well as I visited the University of Santiago, Chile as a Visiting
Professor to collaborate on heterogeneous combustion in 2011 and 2012. I have also
established an extensive collaboration with Empa, Swiss Federal Institute for Materials Science
and Technology where both me and my students spent summer months to perform joint
research on electrochemically active ceramics. My last visit to Empa was supported with a travel
grant from Swiss National Science Foundation.
I was recognized for my research activities with UCF RIA fellowship in 2015 and UCF Lockheed
Martin Faculty Fellow award in 2010-2012. I was a Director of two NATO Advanced Workshops
on Boron Rich Solids and Mixed Ionic Electronic Perovskites for Advanced Energy
Systems, where the most prominent US and international scientists were invited to give
their talks on these important energy related subjects. I was awarded a prestigious NSF
Career project to work on boron rich solids. In addition I was also a recipient of the UK
Royal Society Travel Award to visit Queen Mary University of London to collaborate on
reliability and durability of fuel cells related ceramics.
C. Evidence of Impact & Support
My research on materials design and development in the field of energy application was
supported by many research projects funded both by NSF and Petroleum Research Fund. The
following funding, listed below, was utilized to work on development and characterization of
catalytically and electrochemically active ceramic materials for energy application:
09.2013-08.2016, $714,000, NSF, “MRI: Development of a Multi-Scale Thermal-MechanicalSpectroscopic System for in-Situ Materials Characterization, Research, and Training”
09.2013-08.2015, $150,000, NSF, “AIR Option 1: Technology Translation - Superadiabatic
Combustion in Porous Media for Efficient Heat Production”
09.2013-09.2015, $199,355, NSF, “Interactive Web-Based Visualization Tools for Gluing
Undergraduate Fuel Cell System Courses”
10.2012-03.2013, $ 50,000, NSF, “I-Corps: Robust and Efficient Solid Oxide Fuel Cells for
Clean Energy Generation”
09.2011-08.2014, $ 100,000, PRF, “Super-Adiabatic Combustion in Porous Media with Catalytic
Enhancement for Thermoelectric Power Conversion”, Co-PI – R.-H. Chen, UCF, $100,000
09.2010-08.2014, $ 240,000,
NSF, “Collaborative Research: Mixed Ionic
Conducting (MIEC) Cathodes for Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells”
Electronic
05.2010-04.2014, $ 320,000,
NSF, “Time Dependent Deformation Behavior of Nonpolar
Mixed Conducting Ferroelastic Perovskites: Room Temperature Creep
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UCF Faculty Cluster Initiative
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Provide the following information for all the core cluster personnel. Follow this format for each person.
DO NOT EXCEED TWO PAGES PER INVESTIGATOR.
NAME: James Fenton
Cluster Lead: (yes or no) no
POSITION TITLE, DEPT, & UNIT and or COLLEGE: Director, Florida Solar Energy Center and
Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
EDUCATION/TRAINING (Begin with baccalaureate or other initial professional education,
include postdoctoral training if applicable. Add/delete rows as necessary.)
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION
DEGREE
(if applicable)
Completion
Date
YEAR
FIELD OF STUDY
University of California, Los Angeles
B.S.
1979
Chemical Engineering
University of Illinois, UrbanaChampaign
University of Illinois, UrbanaChampaign
M.S.
1982
Chemical Engineering
Ph.D.
1984
Chemical Engineering
NOTE: The Biographical Sketch may not exceed two pages. Follow the formats and
instructions below.
A. Personal Statement- your value to the cluster
(Briefly describe your unique value to the cluster and describe any previous interdisciplinary
activities related to this cluster.)
As Director of the University of Central Florida’s Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), I lead a
staff of 100 (40 interdisciplinary research faculty) in the research and development of energy
technologies that enhance Florida's and the nation's economy and environment and educate the
public, students and practitioners on the results of the research. The research faculty at FSEC
have backgrounds in Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Industrial, Materials and Mechanical
Engineering; Chemistry and Physical Science, Architecture, Business and Legal. The US DOE
is currently funding programs at FSEC in: “Building America” energy efficient homes,
Photovoltaic Manufacturing, Hot-Humid PV testing of large-scale PV to show bankability, trainthe-trainers education for solar installations, and programs to decease the soft-costs of PV
installation. The US DOT awarded to UCF the nation’s only University Electrical Vehicle
Transportation Center (EVTC) which is being managed by FSEC. Prior to joining UCF’s FSEC
in 2005, Dr. Fenton spent 20 years as a Chemical Engineering Professor at the University of
Connecticut. His 20 M.S., and 17 PhDs are mostly employed in academia or industry working in
areas of importance to this Cluster (i.e. Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells, PEM fuels, Automotive
Fuel Cells, Redox Flow Batteries for Energy Storage, Fuel Processing Catalysis)
B. Contribution to Scholarship and Creative Activities
(Briefly describe your most significant contributions to scholarship and creative activities.
Include appropriate indicators for your area of scholarship and external recognition.)
Dr. Fenton has over 30 years’ experience in electrochemical energy devices and education
topics which include: flow batteries (zinc/bromine, zinc/chlorine and vanadium redox), proton
exchange membrane fuel cells (membrane durability, CO tolerance electrocatalysts, hydrogen
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purification processes, low-methanol crossover membranes, high temperature membranes,
membranes needing no external humidification, selective oxidation catalysts, gas diffusion layer
design, reversible PEM fuel cells). He has also carried out significant research in water
purification, oxidizing agent generation and in biomass and landfill gas fuel processing. He is an
Electrochemical Society Fellow and last May he received the Research Award of the
Electrochemical Society’s Energy Technology Division where he presented "Membrane
Electrode Assembly Fabrication from Membranes of the DOE High Temperature High
Temperature Membrane Working Group" for his award address. He is the author of more than
120 scientific publications, a book on “Experimental Methods for PEM Fuel Cells,” a number of
book chapters and holds four patents.
C. Evidence of Impact & Support
(Briefly describe evidence of impact and support related to the proposed cluster (i.e. external
funding, partnerships, collaborations, synergies, new policies, keynote or invited lectures).)
He and Research Faculty at UCF led the 12-member university and industry research team on a
$19 million U.S. Department of Energy research program to develop the next generation proton
exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell automobile engine that would operate at 120 oC. He was
the Lead for the Battery and Electrochemical Storage Technology (BEST) Hub proposal to
DOE for $120 million over 5 years of which UCF was to receive 42% and the other 16 partner
universities/institutions receiving funding of between 2% and 8% each. While the proposal was
unsuccessful, it was extremely competitive, and demonstrated the ability of UCF to organize
and lead a large effort involving top institutions. The Hub Director was to be James Fenton,
University of Central Florida with Co-Principal Investigators: Robert Savinell, Case Western
Reserve University; Bryan Pivovar, NREL; Trung Van Nguyen, University of Kansas; and Dan
Holladay, SEMATECH Other Partners: California Institute of Technology, Florida State
University, Illinois Institute of Technology, Missouri University of Science & Technology,
Northeastern University, Notre Dame University, University of California/Santa Barbara,
University of Florida, University of South Carolina, University of Southern California, Vanderbilt
University and Washington University/St. Louis. The overall goal of the BEST Hub was to
advance the fundamental understanding of materials, processes, architectures, and
manufacturing methods critical to realizing robust and efficient electrochemical energy storage
systems that can be economically and sustainably deployed to store up to hundreds of Giga
Watt-hours for either electrical or transportation applications. Specifically, the BEST Hub was to:
Create a Bell Laboratories type facility that promotes face to face as well as virtual collaboration;
Engage and integrate the best and brightest minds from Universities, National Labs, and
Industry; Encourage high risk/high reward research; Expand the base of scientific and
engineering fundamentals underpinning electrochemical approaches to energy storage while
producing the next generation workforce; Ensure wide dissemination of research results;
Develop paths to rapid commercialization of new technologies. The primary topic areas
targeted were: Advanced Redox Flow Batteries; Conventional Non-Flow Batteries Transformed
to Flow Batteries; Electrochemical Capacitors; and Reversible Aqueous Metal-Air Batteries.
Additionally there are seven cross cutting thrusts identified to advance these topic areas. They
include: Component Development; Fundamental Understanding; Multi-Scale Modeling and
System Integration; Demonstrations and Prototyping; Commercialization and Industry
Development; Market Applications; and Sustainability. Fundament R&D of the four topic areas
was to be conducted by leading electrochemical scientists, researchers and engineers. The
demonstration, commercialization and industry development of the new technologies was to be
managed by the uniquely qualified SEMATECH and the incubator programs at UCF and the
University of Florida. SEMATECH was to manage the industrial-led BEST Consortium.
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Provide the following information for all the core cluster personnel. Follow this format for each person.
DO NOT EXCEED TWO PAGES PER INVESTIGATOR.
NAME: Fernando J. Uribe-Romo
Cluster Lead: No
POSITION TITLE, DEPT, & UNIT and or COLLEGE: Assistant Professor, Department of
Chemistry, COS.
EDUCATION/TRAINING
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION
DEGREE
(if applicable)
Completion
Date
YEAR
FIELD OF STUDY
Instituto Tecnologico y Estudios
Superiores de Monterrey, Mexico
LCQ
(BSc equivalent)
2006
Chemistry
University of California Los
Angeles, USA
PhD
2011
Inorganic Chemistry
Cornell University, USA
Postdoctoral
2013
Molecular
electronics/Graphene
nanostructures
NOTE: The Biographical Sketch may not exceed two pages. Follow the formats and
instructions below.
A. Personal Statement- your value to the cluster
I am synthetic materials chemist and a crystallographer that focuses on the design and
synthesis of porous metal-organic framework (MOFs) materials. My lab synthesizes MOFs for
efficient use of energy in applications such as visible-light photocatalysis, electrocatalysis,
artificial photosynthesis, solar-fuel generation, solid-state electrolytes, non-linear optics and
separation of radioactive gases. These MOFs are class of novel self-assembled robust
polymeric materials that have emerged over the last 15 years, targeting applications where
molecular design meets solid-state self-assembled materials. The research activities in my lab
involve crystal simulation/theory, organic synthesis of molecular monomers, solid-state
inorganic synthesis, crystallography, materials characterization, and basic determination of
performance of application. Thus in my laboratory we can synthesize highly functional organic
molecules and integrate them in metal-organic frameworks, to produce prototypic amounts
(multigram) for early stage performance testing.
I am currently at the end of my second year as a tenure track assistant professor in the
Chemistry Department at UCF. As a member of this cluster initiative, I contribute with my
research activities: Basic science for the synthesis of highly designed self assembled materials
for energy conversion and storage.
I bring strong component of experimental materials synthesis and crystallography background to
this cluster. I am in the need to collaboration with scale-up scientists/engineers for the mass
potential mass production and optimization of properties in larger scale settings. Although I
specifically work on photocatalysis and electrochemistry, my expertise is more in the material
preparation, thus collaboration with photocatalysis/electrochemistry/nanocatalysis experts would
improve the turnover time of successful results, and advancements of my research goals.
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B. Contribution to Scholarship and Creative Activities
During my career as a scientist, including undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral research, and
now as junior faculty in the Chemistry Department, I have published 14 publications in high
impact journals, including Nature Chemistry, Journal of the America Chemical Society and
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. The impact of my research is
noticeable of high impact, as evidenced by my h-index of 10 (of 14 publications), and the total
number of citations: 2,478 (as of April 2015, from ISI web of science). I currently have
collaborations with research groups in universities such as University of California Los Angeles,
UC Berkeley, University of Nevada Las Vegas, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Florida
State University, and Cornell University. I have participated as Visiting Research Scientist at
University of Michigan (2005), and Newcastle University in the UK (2010). In 2010, I received
the Margaret C. Etter Student Lecturer Award on Powder Diffraction Crystallography, given by
the American Crystallographic Association.
C. Evidence of Impact & Support
As a junior faculty at UCF, am still yet to receive funding, currently pending support from NSF,
DOE BES, ACS PRF, and Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative. I have presented my research as
national meetings such as Annual Meetings of the American Chemical Society (2008, 2009,
2010, 2012), American Crystallographic Association (2010, 2012, 2015), and Gordon Research
Conference (2015).
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Provide the following information for all the core cluster personnel. Follow this format for each person.
DO NOT EXCEED TWO PAGES PER INVESTIGATOR.
NAME: Abdelkader Kara
Cluster Lead: No
POSITION TITLE, DEPT, & UNIT and or COLLEGE: Associate Professor, Department of
Physics, COS.
EDUCATION/TRAINING
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION
DEGREE
(if applicable)
Completion
Date
YEAR
FIELD OF STUDY
Institut Superieur de l’Electronique
Et du Numerique (France)
MS Electronics
1982
Electronics
Universite de Lille (France)
MS Physics
1982
Physics
Universite de Lille (France)
PhD
1985
Condensed Matter
NOTE: The Biographical Sketch may not exceed two pages. Follow the formats and
instructions below.
A. Personal Statement- your value to the cluster
I have thirty years of experience on physical and chemical phenomena of metal surfaces
and nano-structures. I have developed a real space method to calculate the vibrational
dynamics and thermodynamics of complex systems with no long-range order. This method
has also been used to determine pre-factors necessary to determine accurately rates of
reactions, for example. I have studied using both classical mechanics (Molecular Dynamics,
MD) and quantum mechanics (Density Functional Theory, DFT) to study the reactivity of
metal surfaces and nano-particles. Using MD, I have studied the dissociation of diatomic
molecules on several metal surfaces. Using DFT, I have studied the adsorption of several
small and large molecules on a variety of surfaces with varying surface geometries and
chemistry. I have also developed a smart kinetic Monte Carlo method that is versatile and
can be used to study reactions under high pressures and on large systems. This method
can bridge the structural and temporal gaps encountered in the study of catalysis. With my
expertise in these computational tools, I can perform multi-scale simulations of catalysis.
B. Contribution to Scholarship and Creative Activities
With my colleagues in France, I was among the very first to synthesize and determine the
properties of silicene,the silicon counterpart of graphene. This has sparked a myriad of
experimental and theoretical investigations worldwide. From 2 papers published on Silicene in
2009 (one of them mine), there are now 554 papers. In 2012, I was invited to write the first
review paper on silicene, which was published in the very prestigious and highly selective
journal Surface Science Reports (impact factor 24.5). This review is now the 3d-most-cited
paper in SSR. As a pioneer in this important field, I started the series of International
Meetings on Silicene (IMS), the first two held in Morocco (2010 and 2011), the third in France
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(2013) and the fourth in China (2014). I am organizing the fifth (IMS-5) at UCF in December
2015.
I have also developed a new research area on organic materials/metal surfaces interfaces
with the inclusion of van der Waals (vdWs) interaction. These interactions have been long
neglected in many DFT studies of molecules on surfaces. I have performed very detailed
studies of these phenomena for a large variety of molecules on metal surfaces. Overall, I
have published 120 papers with 5 reviews in high impact journals. My total citation is over
3550 and my h-index is 29.
C. Evidence of Impact & Support
As a single PI I secured a strong support from the Department of Energy ($420,000) to
study the van der Waals effects in the interface between organic molecules and metal
surfaces. I have also received support, as a single PI, $28,000 from the National Science
Foundation to organize the first US-Morocco Workshop on Nano-Materials for Renewable
Energies. I am a co-PI in a grant from NSF, $200,000 on Active Learning Strategies for
Algebra-based Introductory Physics Courses at UCF.
For my computational needs, I applied successfully for computational resources (6 million
core-hours) through the ASCR Leadership Computing Challenge. I routinely apply for
computing times at DOE facilities (NERSC) and secure about 5 million core-hours yearly.
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Provide the following information for all the core cluster personnel. Follow this format for each person.
DO NOT EXCEED TWO PAGES PER INVESTIGATOR.
NAME: William Kaden
Cluster Lead: No
Assistant Professor, Physics, College of Sciences:
EDUCATION/TRAINING (Begin with baccalaureate or other initial professional education,
include postdoctoral training if applicable. Add/delete rows as necessary.)
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION
SUNY Oswego
University of Utah
DEGREE
(if applicable)
Completion
Date
YEAR
BS
PhD
2002
2009
Fritz-Haber-Institut der
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
2014
FIELD OF STUDY
Chemistry
Analytical
Chemistry
Materials
Science
(postdoc)
NOTE: The Biographical Sketch may not exceed two pages. Follow the formats and
instructions below.
A. Personal Statement- your value to the cluster
My work is in experimental model-catalysis form a surface-science perspective, which will
provide the bridge between theory and applied research within the MGI-like thrusts of this
cluster. My focus, in contrast to peers within my field, is on the influence of materials effects that
often go neglected by the model-catalyst surface-science community, yet may still play pivotal
roles in determining the physical and catalytic properties of their industrial counterparts.
Examples of this include unforeseen effects related to the presence of aqueous liquid
precursors when depositing active materials on planar-oxides and dopant, structural, and
electronic effects related to using a more flexible range of thickness-dependent support
materials for ultrahigh-vacuum surface-science studies. The latter objective has only recently
become possible through the advent of many technological advances upon conventional
surface-science techniques to allow for the same degree of detail to be gleaned from previously
unusable sample materials, such as wide band-gap oxides and other insulating materials.
B. Contribution to Scholarship and Creative Activities
As one of the newest hires in the University, I have yet to contribute much in the way of
traditional scholarship at UCF yet. To date, I have applied for a Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty
Award through the Oak Ridge Associated Universities funding body, and have taken strides to
strengthen ties with the Office of Naval Research to do the same with them next spring.
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Additional short-term plans include lead-investigator proposals to the DOE division of catalysis
and the NSF division of catalysis and biocatalysis, in addition to a forthcoming proposal to
NASA in conjunction with another member of the proposed hire (Schelling). In the meantime, I
have a sole-authored chapter on the topic of scan-probe microscopy and spectroscopy in
preparation for a book entitled “Physical Organic Chemistry,” as well as an invited sole-authored
review article on topics related to my research program and two additional manuscripts
stemming from previous research activities drafted for publication in the coming months.
C. Evidence of Impact & Support
Prior to my recent arrival at UCF, I have been awarded a two-year Alexander von Humboldt
award worth ~$100K to support a portion of my postdoctoral research in Germany. Before that, I
was awarded the Cheves T. Walling award in recognition of the best PhD thesis and defense
within Chemistry at the University of Utah for the year 2010. In addition, I have published
several articles in top-level journals, such as Science, JACS, and Physical Review, and
participated in many conferences within my field at locations throughout the US and Europe. Put
into more quantitative terms, I have been accredited with 17 publications to date, and have been
listed as the first author in 7 of those works, and corresponding author in 4. Over that span, I
have generated an h-index of 9 when tracking references to my work since 2010, and have
been cited in a total of 193 publications since the beginning of 2014. In addition, I have given a
total of 24 scientific presentations throughout my career, with 7 of those being invited talks, and
at least one more scheduled for the fall at this point.
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Provide the following information for all the core cluster personnel. Follow this format for each person.
DO NOT EXCEED TWO PAGES PER INVESTIGATOR.
NAME: Sergey Stolbov
Cluster Lead: no (yes or no)
POSITION TITLE, DEPT, & UNIT and or COLLEGE: Associate Professor, Department of
Physics, College of Sciences
EDUCATION/TRAINING
DEGREE
(if applicable)
Completion
Date
YEAR
Rostov State University, Russia
BS
1975
Physics
Rostov State University, Russia
PhD
1982
Condensed matter
physics
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION
FIELD OF STUDY
A. Personal Statement- your value to the cluster
I have a high expertise in understanding of mechanisms underlying various electro-catalytic and
photo catalytic processes, in particular, the relationship between the composition/morphology of
a catalyst surface and its catalytic activity. I work on rational design of promising electro- and
photo-catalysts using a computational approach. I can contribute to rationalization of
experimental results related to electro-/photo-catalysis obtained by other cluster member and/or
propose them to test our predictions of efficient catalysts.
B. Contribution to Scholarship and Creative Activities
I have more than 50 articles published in peer-reviewed journals including those published in such
reputable journals as Science, Physical Review Letters, Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. Our article:
K.-Y. Kwon, K. L. Wong, G. Pawin, L. Bartels, S. Stolbov, and T. S. Rahman, Unidirectional
adsorbate motion on a high-symmetry surface: ``Walking'' molecules can stay the course. Phys.
Rev. Lett., 95 166101 (2005) has been included in the AIP list of the Top Physics Stories for
2005, Physics News Update (AIP) No757 (2005). The article: S. Stolbov, M. Alcántara Ortigoza,
Rational Design of Competitive Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Fuel Cells. J. Phys. Chem. Letts.
3, 463 (2012) had a great professional media coverage in sources such as Fuel Cell Bulletin,
Advanced Fuel Cell Technology, NASA Tech Briefs, The Engineer, World of Chemicals,
Nanotechnology Today, and many others. My papers are cited more than 600 times in peerreview journals.
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C. Evidence of Impact & Support
Recently I had an NSF grant CBET 1249134 EAGER: “New approach to rational design of
efficient electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction in hydrogen fuel cells”, which is
directly related to one of the objectives of the cluster. I am working on two proposals on electroand photo-catalysis to submit them to NSF and DoE. I have carried out a number of works
together with Dr. T. S. Rahman, who is a member of the cluster. I will search for collaboration
with other current and oncoming members of the cluste
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Provide the following information for all the core cluster personnel. Follow this format for each person.
DO NOT EXCEED TWO PAGES PER INVESTIGATOR.
NAME: Laurene Tetard
Cluster Lead: no
POSITION TITLE, DEPT, & UNIT and or COLLEGE: NSTC
EDUCATION/TRAINING (Begin with baccalaureate or other initial professional education,
include postdoctoral training if applicable. Add/delete rows as necessary.)
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION
Completion
Date
YEAR
DEGREE
(if applicable)
FIELD OF STUDY
University of Burgundy, Dijon, France
BS
2004
Physics, Chemistry
University of Burgundy, Dijon, France
MS
2006
Physics
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
PhD
2010
Physics
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Wigner Fellow
2011-2013
NOTE: The Biographical Sketch may not exceed two pages. Follow the formats and
instructions below.
A. Personal Statement- your value to the cluster
The cluster will benefit from my expertise in nanoscale characterization of materials using
advanced scanning probe microscope techniques to study physical and chemical properties.
This will complete the Multiscale toolbox for experimental contribution to the cluster.
B. Contribution to Scholarship and Creative Activities
- List of selected (10) Peer Reviewed Publications:
1. Narae Kang, Hari P. Paudel, Michael N. Leuenberger, Laurene Tetard, and Saiful I.
Khondaker. Photoluminescence Quenching in Single-Layer MoS2 via Oxygen Plasma
Treatment, Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 118 (36), 21258–21263, 2014. DOI:
10.1021/jp506964m
2. Muhammad R. Islam, Narae Kang, Udai Bhanu, Hari P. Paudel, Mikhail Erementchouk,
Laurene Tetard, Michael N. Leuenberger and Saiful I. Khondaker. Tuning the electrical
property via defect engineering of single layer MoS2 by oxygen plasma, Nanoscale, 6,
10033-10039, 2014. DOI: 10.1039/C4NR02142H
3. Udai Bhanu, Muhammad R. Islam, Laurene Tetard, Saiful I. Khondaker. Photoluminescence
quenching in gold - MoS2 hybrid nanoflakes, Scientific Reports 4, 5575, 2014.
doi:10.1038/srep05575
4. P.Vitry, C. Plassard, E. Bourillot, Y. Lacroute, L.Tetard and E. Lesniewska. Study of metallic
calibrated samples by Mode-Synthetizing AFM, Applied Physics Letters, 105, 053110, 2014.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4892467
5. B. Duong, H. Khurshid, P. Gangopadhyay, J. Devkota, K. Stojak, H. Srikanth, L. Tetard, R.
A. Norwood, N. Peyghambarian, M. Phan and J. Thomas. Enhanced Magnetism in Highly
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Ordered
Magnetite
Nanoparticle-Filled
Nanohole
10.1002/smll.201303809 (2014), selected for cover page
Arrays,
Small,
DOI:
6. Z. Yu, L. Tetard, L. Zhai, J. Thomas. Supercapacitor electrode materials: nanostructures
from 0 to 3 dimensions. Energy and Environmental Science, 2015. DOI:
10.1039/C4EE03229B
7. L. Tetard, A. Passian, K. T. Venmar, R. M. Lynch, B. H. Voy, G. Shekhawat, V. P. Dravid, T.
Thundat. Imaging nanoparticles in cells by nanomechanical holography, Nature
Nanotechnology, 3, 501-505, 2008. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2008.162
8. L. Tetard, A. Passian, T. Thundat. New modes for subsurface atomic force microscopy
through nanomechanical coupling, Nature Nanotechnology, 5, 105-109, 2010.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2009.454
9. L. Tetard, A. Passian, S. Eslami, N. Jalili, R. H. Farahi, T. Thundat. Virtual resonance and
frequency difference generation by van der Waals interaction, Physics Review Letters, 106,
180801, 2011. http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.106.180801
10. L. Tetard, A. Passian, R. H. Farahi, B. H. Davison, T. Thundat. Optomechanical
spectroscopy with broadband interferometric and quantum cascade laser sources, Optics
Letters, 36, 3251-3253, 2011. http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/OL.36.003251
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
- Other professional activities:
Patents and invention disclosures: 4
Chair of Florida AVS and NanoFlorida (2016)
MRS symposium organizer (BBB in Spring 2014 and QQ in Fall 2014) on nanoscale
characterization of complex systems
Executive committee member for the Florida Chapter of AVS (2014-present)
Chair and organizer of the poster session including an Undergraduate Research category
for the Florida Chapter of AVS in Orlando, Fl, (March 2014)
Judge for poster competitions (UCF graduate research poster showcase, FlAVS, MRS)
Reviewer: Nature Physics, Nanoscale, Physical Review Letters, Current Opinions, RSC
Advances, Scientific Reports, Physical Review E, Nanotechnology, Ultramicroscopy,
International Journal of Optics, International Journal of Nanotechnology, Applied Physics
Letters, MRS proceedings.
Outreach: Nanoscience Saturdays at the Orlando Science Center. Developed activities for
children and parents (Spring 2014); Organizer of NanoFest 2015 at the Orlando Public
Library, Physics Outreach programs (iSTEM, STEM Connect)
C. Evidence of Impact & Support
-
Pending NSF proposals relevant to the cluster: NSF CHE “SusChEM Defect-laden
2D Catalysts for Carbon Sequestration and Safer Hydrogenation” and NSF DMREF
“Rational Design of Doped 2D Transition Metal Dichalcogenides for Device
Applications”, Tetard as Co-PI
-
Pending DOE proposal: “Multimodal Nanoscale Imaging and Analysis of Cell Wall
Biosynthesis and Degradation in plants”, Tetard as Co-PI
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Provide the following information for all the core cluster personnel. Follow this format for each person.
DO NOT EXCEED TWO PAGES PER INVESTIGATOR.
NAME: Paul Brooker
Cluster Lead: no
POSITION TITLE, DEPT, & UNIT and or COLLEGE:
Assistant Research Professor, Florida Solar Energy Center
EDUCATION/TRAINING
DEGREE
(if applicable)
Completion
Date
YEAR
Brigham Young University
B.S.
2004
University of Connecticut
Ph.D.
2009
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION
FIELD OF STUDY
Chemical
Engineering
Chemical
Engineering
NOTE: The Biographical Sketch may not exceed two pages. Follow the formats and
instructions below.
A. Personal Statement- your value to the cluster
(Briefly describe your unique value to the cluster and describe any previous interdisciplinary
activities related to this cluster.)
I will contribute an understanding of electrochemical energy storage devices (e.g. fuel cells, flow
batteries supercapacitors), together with the capability of testing these devices. My background
in electrode application and performance, together with durability and degradation, allow me to
provide unique insight into the novel catalysts that will be developed by this cluster.
Furthermore, the electrochemical capabilities at FSEC allow us to interact with a wide variety of
researchers, whether they’re interested in lithium-ion batteries or hydrogen fuel cells.
Previous to this cluster, we worked with Talat Rahman to develop an EFRC proposal that was
declined.
B. Contribution to Scholarship and Creative Activities
(Briefly describe your most significant contributions to scholarship and creative activities.
Include appropriate indicators for your area of scholarship and external recognition.)
In my role as a research professor, opportunities for direct interaction with students are limited.
However, during my time at FSEC, I have mentored several high school science fair projects,
assisted a mechanical engineering senior design project, and supervised an undergraduate
intern from the University of Bath, UK. Furthermore, Nina Orlovskaya has routinely brought
students from her fuel cell class to tour our labs. We provided the students a brief tutorial in how
we manufacture, assemble and test fuel cell components and assemblies. Recently, we hosted
a booth at an Earth Day event where we showcased a fuel cell-powered remote controlled car
and how one could export power from a vehicle to supply energy to a home. While these
activities are not directly related to the classroom, I would certainly be a resource for curriculum
development for future energy-related courses.
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C. Evidence of Impact & Support
(Briefly describe evidence of impact and support related to the proposed cluster (i.e. external
funding, partnerships, collaborations, synergies, new policies, keynote or invited lectures).)
External Funding
FSEC led the DOE High Temperature Membrane Working group, which was a partnership
between several universities and industry leaders, to develop novel membranes for fuel cell
applications.
The DOT-funded Electric Vehicle Transportation Center is funding FSEC to investigate the
various factors related to electric vehicle adoption, which includes energy storage.
Partnerships/Collaborations
There are several groups that we have directly interacted with in developing proposals for
external funding, mainly within electrochemical-related applications. For example, we have a
close relationship to Giner, a successful electrolysis company that is currently supplying labscale hydrogen production, with plans to develop large (1MW) electrolyzers. We also have
interacted with General Motors with respect to fuel cells for transportation applications.
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Provide the following information for all the core cluster personnel. Follow this format for each person.
DO NOT EXCEED TWO PAGES PER INVESTIGATOR.
NAME: Seetha Raghavan
Cluster Lead: No
POSITION TITLE, DEPT, & UNIT and or COLLEGE:
Associate Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, CECS
EDUCATION/TRAINING (Begin with baccalaureate or other initial professional education,
include postdoctoral training if applicable. Add/delete rows as necessary.)
Nanyang Technological University
(Singapore)
B. Eng
Completion
Date
YEAR
1995
ENSAE (SUPAERO, France)
MS, A.E
1997
Aeronautical
Engineering
Purdue University
PhD
2008
Aeronautics &
Astronautics
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION
DEGREE
(if applicable)
FIELD OF STUDY
Mechanical Engineering
NOTE: The Biographical Sketch may not exceed two pages. Follow the formats and
instructions below.
A. Personal Statement- your value to the cluster
Dr Raghavan’s primary area of research is in the elucidation of the mechanics of structures and
materials through innovative characterization techniques with goals to revolutionize and
engineer their capabilities. Research efforts include investigating the mechanics of high
temperature coatings on turbine blades for propulsion and energy technology as well as
developing sensing materials to monitor structural integrity and detect damage for enhanced
safety. From experimental discoveries of the fundamentals of load transfer with nanoparticle
reinforcements to “seeing” stress evolution in a turbine blade coating under engine operating
conditions, the outcomes will engineer materials and structures and lead to game-changing
technology.
B. Contribution to Scholarship and Creative Activities
Dr Raghavan’s research has contributed significantly to the scientific community, adopting a
transformative approach marked by distinct, high impact achievements as follows:
• Pioneering in situ synchrotron measurements that capture strain evolution in thermal
barrier coating layers in a recreated engine environment. Published in Nature
Communications 2014. This work received media coverage in the Department of Energy
and Argonne National Laboratory websites, the American Ceramic Society (ACerS) techtoday news and in UCF today. The achievement has been featured in the ACerS Bulletin
in January 2015.
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•
•
•
•
•
Breakthrough in developing stress-sensing nanomaterials with tunable sensitivity through
the innovative use of fundamental piezospectroscopic properties. Presented in
NanoLetters 2011 and development of the mechanics of these sensing materials as
coatings in Acta Materialia 2014.
Innovation of stress sensing nanomaterial, applied as high spatial resolution, non-invasive
coatings on structures for stress and damage detection. Patent filed Sept 2012 (U.S.
Patent Application No.: 13/630,236).
Her original work has received recognition from world leaders in the field of spectroscopy
and thermal barrier coatings through invited talks from Prof. David R. Clarke, Harvard
University (March 2011), Prof. Robert Vaßen, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich
(June 2012) and Prof. Marion Bartsch, German Aerospace Center, Cologne (June 2012)
and the Canadian Space Agency, Montreal (October 2013).
First of a kind instrumentation development that recreates the engine operating conditions
incorporating thermal gradients with mechanical loads at the synchrotron, shedding new
light in a research area that has been investigated for over 2 decades and published in
Review of Scientific Instruments, 2013.
Novel coupling of a mechanical testing system with a fiber optic probe for in situ
piezospectroscopy and portable piezospectroscopy instrumentation. Published in the
Journal of Instrumentation, 2010 and 2014 and featured as technology that “Pushes the
Boundaries of Noninvasive Materials Characterization” in an MTS Force & Motion
Newsletter, Volume 19, 2010
C. Evidence of Impact & Support
The distinct originality of Dr Raghavan’s research ideas and approach is what sets her
outcomes apart from the norm and earns her recognition from experts in the field.
Redefining current research boundaries Through creative ideas and technical ingenuity, Dr.
Raghavan has successfully achieved first of a kind in situ experiments in a replicated engine
environment that have game-changing implications to the scientific community. The outcomes,
first of which has been published in Nature Communications and Review of Scientific
Instruments have gained the attention of leaders in the field with invited talks from Prof. David
Clarke at Harvard University and Prof. Robert Vaßen, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich.
Her work on stress-sensing nanomaterials has taken an equally revolutionary approach. The
results have been published in Nanoletters. Two conference publications on the research won
awards and a patent has been filed for the invention of a novel stress sensing nanomaterial.
The mechanics of these sensing coatings are published in Acta Materialia.
From laboratory to industry Dr Raghavan’s research has captured the attention of the
industry and national laboratories leading to collaborative research with Boeing Research and
Technology, Siemens Energy and Argonne National Laboratory. The appeal of her research to
the industry attests to the transformative potential of her research findings as seen in her NSF
funded GOALI project with Boeing Research and Technology. This is further reiterated by her
patent portfolio, which includes an apparatus for Ultrasonic Inspection of Flawed Materials. The
invention was recognized with a Flight International award under the Maintenance category.
Global Research to break new ground The reach of Dr Raghavan’s work goes beyond the
US. Her NSF funded Catalyzing new international collaborations award started with a summer
research experience for her research team in Germany and came full circle with the successful
initiation of in situ synchrotron measurements at Argonne National Laboratory in the US. Over
the last 4 years, she has published her research with 10 graduate and about 20 undergraduate
students demonstrating that these achievements are accompanied by successful training of the
next generation of scientists.
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
NAME: Nazim Muradov
Cluster Lead: No
POSITION TITLE, DEPT, & UNIT and or COLLEGE: Research Professor, FSEC
EDUCATION/TRAINING
DEGREE
(if applicable)
Completion
Date
YEAR
Institute of Oil and Chemistry
BS/MS
1970
Petrochemical
engineering
Institute of Chemical Physics (Russia)
Ph.D.
1975
Kinetics and Catalysis
Institute of Chemical Physics (Russia)
D.Sc.
1990
Physical Chemistry
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION
FIELD OF STUDY
A. Personal Statement- your value to the cluster
40 years of experience in catalysis and photocatalysis area. In particular, conducted catalytic
studies related to reforming, cracking, Fisher-Tropsh, gasification, pyrolysis, and hydrocarbon
oxidation processes. Conducted pioneering works on synthesis of novel CdS-based visible-light
activated photocatalysts and fundamental studies of solar-driven photocatalytic systems and
their application to production of hydrogen and environmental remediation (e.g., radiant
detoxification of hazardous wastes). Carried out studies of catalytic and photocatalytic aspects
of solar-powered water-splitting cycles and thermal energy storage systems. Published close to
100 publications and has been awarded more than 40 patents in catalysis and photocatalysis
area. Other areas of research include advanced biofuels, hydrogen sensors, and
nanostructured carbon materials.
B. Contribution to Scholarship and Creative Activities
Dr. Muradov’s research in the areas of catalytic and photocatalytic hydrogen production, solar
energy conversion, advanced biofuels and carbon nanostructures is well known nationally and
internationally. He has authored and co-authored 2 books, 5 book chapters, one Encyclopedia
article, close to 100 refereed papers in archival journals and books, close to 100 conference
proceedings and 43 awarded patents.
His works are widely cited: his citation record since 2008 is 1302, and h-index is 20. (Scopus
database). He is a lead author in about 90% of all publications. Most of the papers have been
published in archival journals with the Impact Factor of 4 and higher. His paper “From
hydrocarbon to hydrogen-carbon to hydrogen economy” published in the International Journal of
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Hydrogen Energy (IJHE) in 2005, was identified by Thomson Reuters’ Essential Science
Indicators to be one of the most cited papers in the research area of Hydrogen Economy, and it
was featured as a Fast Moving Front paper on the ScienceWatch website.
http://sciencewatch.com/dr/fmf/2009/09mayfmf/09mayfmfMura/. According to Science Direct, in
2006-2010, it was the fourth most cited paper in the area of hydrogen energy. His review paper
“Green path from fossil-based to hydrogen economy: An overview of carbon-neutral
technologies”, was ranked 9th most downloaded article in the IJHE (years 2009-2010).
Awards and Honors:
•
•
•
•
•
2014 R&D100 Award (as a member of UCF-NASA team)
UCF (Institutes and Centers) Excellence in Research Award, 2012
Honorary title of International Association for Hydrogen Energy Fellow, 2010.
UCF Research Incentive Award, 2003
UCF (Institutes and Centers) Distinguished Researcher of the Year Award, 1996.
Evidence of Recognition:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Member of the Board of Directors of the International Association for Hydrogen Energy
Member of the Board of Trustees and Scientific Council of Madrid’s Institute for Advanced
Studies (IMDEA) “Energia”, Spain (since 2007)
Associate Editor of the “International Journal of Hydrogen Energy” (since 2007)
Member of several International Advisory Boards and Scientific Committees: 5th International
Forum on New Materials, 2010, Italy; 2nd European Hydrogen Energy Conference,
Zaragoza, Spain, 2005; HYPOTHESIS IX conference, Costa Rica, 2011; Clean Energy
Conference, Taiwan, 2011, European Hydrogen Conf., Seville, Spain (2013).
Invited lectures and seminars: MIT, Cambridge; Vrije University, Amsterdam; Ray Juan
Carlos University, Madrid; Tokyo Science University; Tokyo University of Agriculture and
Technology, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Universal Oil Products.
Member of the national panels of reviewers for the US Department of Energy and
Department of Agriculture.
Session chair and co-chair at international meetings: WHEC-1998, Argentina; WHEC-2012,
Germany; WHEC-2014, Gwanju, S. Korea, 2014.
C. Evidence of Impact & Support
Dr. Muradov has been PI and co-PI of close to $6 million in externally funded research projects
from such funding sources as US DoE, US DoD (Navy), NASA (GRC), EPA, Florida-DACS,
Chevron, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (Australia), Qatar National Priorities
Research Program, Science Applications International Corp., Harris, PetroAlgae, and others. He
has collaborated with researchers from nearly 20 countries in the area of catalysis and
environmental remediation. He was invited to give a plenary lecture at the international
conference HYPOTHESIS, Toledo, Spain, September, 2015
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UCF Faculty Cluster Initiative
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Provide the following information for all the core cluster personnel. Follow this format for each person.
DO NOT EXCEED TWO PAGES PER INVESTIGATOR.
NAME: Haiyan Hu
Cluster Lead: (yes or no)no
POSITION TITLE, DEPT, & UNIT and or COLLEGE: associate professor, EECS, CECS
EDUCATION/TRAINING (Begin with baccalaureate or other initial professional education,
include postdoctoral training if applicable. Add/delete rows as necessary.)
Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing,
China
B.S.
Completion
Date
YEAR
1996
University of Washington, Seattle, WA
M.S.
2001
Industrial Engineering
University of Southern California, Los
Angeles, CA
Ph.D.
2006
Computer Science
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION
DEGREE
(if applicable)
FIELD OF STUDY
Artificial Intelligence
NOTE: The Biographical Sketch may not exceed two pages. Follow the formats and
instructions below.
A. Personal Statement- your value to the cluster
(Briefly describe your unique value to the cluster and describe any previous interdisciplinary
activities related to this cluster.)
As a computer scientist, I will be able to collaborate with others using my data mining and
machine learning expertise towards rational material design.
As a computational biologist, I have been working in the interdisciplinary area of computational
biology/bioinformatics that needs expertise from multiple disciplines including computer science,
biology, statistics and mathematics.
B. Contribution to Scholarship and Creative Activities
(Briefly describe your most significant contributions to scholarship and creative activities.
Include appropriate indicators for your area of scholarship and external recognition.)
I founded the Data Integration and Knowledge Discovery Lab at UCF to create novel
computational methods to integrate large-scale data for knowledge discovery, currently focusing
on solving biological and biomedical problems. My work in recent years has turned out a
number of very important scientific discoveries. My lab has been the first to make systematic
discovery of regulatory elements in microalgae genome, the first to discover the potential coregulation between chloroplast and nuclear genes, and the first to discover thousands of
regulatory elements are shared by Arabidopsis and Poplar. Our recent discoveries have
resulted in twenty-one high impact journal papers, five peer-reviewed conference papers and
two book chapters. My recent publication is in Nucleic Acids Research (impact factor 8.8). I
have also published in excellent journals such as Plant Physiology (the most highly cited plant
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Journal with impact factor 7.9). I have developed a dozen software packages that are useful for
bioinformatics community.
C. Evidence of Impact & Support
(Briefly describe evidence of impact and support related to the proposed cluster (i.e. external
funding, partnerships, collaborations, synergies, new policies, keynote or invited lectures).)
Because of our high-impact work in computational biology, I have been supported with
approximately $1.8M grants from national funding agencies including NSF and NIH in the past
six years. As the sole PI, I have been awarded three NSF research grants amounting over
$1.3M from 2011 to 2014. I have won the NSF CAREER award (2012-2017) the project titled “a
computational framework for epigenetic regulation”. I have also been involved as a coinvestigator in a NIH funded project titled “Discovery of Cis-Regulatory Modules in the Human
Genome” with 25% share after I join UCF. This project is the only pure computational work
participating in NIH Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) project. Besides, I have been
awarded the in-house grant on computational modeling of non-coding RNAs in 2013.
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UCF Faculty Cluster Initiative
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Provide the following information for all the core cluster personnel. Follow this format for each person.
DO NOT EXCEED TWO PAGES PER INVESTIGATOR.
NAME: Ali T-Raissi
Cluster Lead: No
POSITION TITLE, DEPT, & UNIT and or COLLEGE:
Director, Advanced Energy Research Division, UCF-Florida Solar Energy Center
EDUCATION/TRAINING
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION
DEGREE
(if applicable)
Completion
Date
YEAR
University of Tehran, IRAN B.S.
1975
Lehigh University,
Bethlehem, PA
University of California at
Berkeley
Renewable Resources
Research Lab., Hawai’i
Natural Energy Institute,
University of Hawai’i at
Manoa
Harvard University, JFK
School of Government
M.S.
1978
Ph.D.
1982
Post-Doc 1986
Graduate 2003
FIELD OF STUDY
Mechanical
Engineering
Mechanical
Engineering
Mechanical
Engineering
Solar fuels and
hydrogen
production R&D
Leadership for
21st century
NOTE: The Biographical Sketch may not exceed two pages. Follow the formats and
instructions below.
A. Personal Statement- your value to the cluster
Raissi’s contributions to the proposed cluster will be in the areas of thermos- and photocatalysis for energy conversion and environmental remediation applications. Ali’s research is
focused on the discovery of the materials for the production of solar fuels and chemicals, energy
storage, third generation bio-fuels, catalysts for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, and hydrogen
sensors. Dr. Raissi established and staffed FSEC’s first renewable energy research lab in 1988
which has been extensively refurbished and expanded since – now, encompassing three fully
equipped labs (Class B & C – totaling 5,000 square feet), and a 1,500 square feet field facility.
These facilities and advanced analytical equipment they house will be made available for use by
the cluster hires.
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B. Contribution to Scholarship and Creative Activities
In 2005, Raissi led a team of FSEC and NASA-KSC researchers to develop a novel
chemochromic hydrogen sensor. This invention received an R&D 100 Award in 2014 – first ever
for the University of Central Florida. Ali has also received UCF's Distinguished I&C Researcher
of the Year Award in 1993 and again in 2003 as well as the Research Incentive Award in 2002.
Dr. Raissi is a member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy.
He was the only U.S. researcher receiving the New Technology Award at the 15th World
Hydrogen Energy Conference held in Yokohama, Japan in 2004. Ali has presented numerous
invited lectures in the US, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, France, Australia, Republic of South Korea
and Japan. Dr. Raissi has published extensively with more than 150 original research articles
and technical reports (including three book chapters), and has been granted more than 30
patents -- issued in the US, Canada, Korea, Japan, Germany, and International PTO.
A short list Ali’s recent post-docs and visiting scholars include: Prof. Kyu Dae Hwang, Dept. of
Industrial Japanese, Yuhan University, Seoul, Korea; Dr. G. Sean McGrady, University
Research Professor & Director of Graduate Studies, Dept. of Chemistry, Univ. of New
Brunswick, Fredericton, Canada; Dr. Nan Qin, SUNY-Syracuse; Dr. Amit C. Gujar, Mississippi
State University; Prof. Liqun Mao, Laboratory of Special Functional Materials, Henan University,
China; Dr. Weifeng Yao, Advanced Materials Group, Photocatalytic Materials Center, National
institute for Material Science, Tsukuba, Japan; Daniel Braeuning, Process & Environmental
Engineering, Heilbronn Univ., Germany.
C. Evidence of Impact & Support
Raissi’s research has been funded by both governments and private industry, among them: US
DOE-EERE & BES, NASA, US Navy (NSWCIHD & NSWCC, ONR, DLA), US Army-ARO, EPA,
Chevron Corp., DuPont Corp., Radian Corp., ASRC Aerospace Corp.; FHI, FL DACS, SAIC,
Protonex Technology, Inc., PetroAlgae, Inc., Cella Energy Systems, Harris Corp. and TAPPI
Foundation. As a PI or Co-PI of more than 55 research projects, Raissi has secured more than
$35M in funded research. Ali’s NASA funded research on hydrogen sensors was recognized by
an R&D 100 Award to UCF in 2014. Following is a list of his synergistic activities:
Advisory Board – Chemical Engineering Department, Florida Institute of Technology
Melbourne, 2007-present
Editorial Board – International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2003- present
Board Member – AIAA Hydrogen Committee on Standards
Visiting Scholar – Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, 1995
Professional Memberships – ACS (1987- present); AIChE (1988-2007); ASME (1977-2005)
Journal Review – ASME J. of Mechanical Design; International J. of Hydrogen Energy; Solar
Energy J.; J. of Solar Energy Engineering; J. of Physical Chemistry; Energy & Fuels; Catalysis
Today; Applied Physics Letters; ACS – Environmental Science & Engineering; Industrial &
Engineering Chemistry Research; Chemical Engineering Science; ACS – Langmuir; J. of Power
Sources; Chemistry of Materials
Proposal Review – U.S. DOE (EERE & ARPA-E); USDA (CSREES & NIFA SBIR); NSF;
NASA; EPA; Oak Ridge Associated Universities; State Department; The National Academies;
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); Indiana 21st Century Research
and Technology Fund; Ontario Centers of Excellence Inc., Centre for Materials and
Manufacturing; CRC Press, ETH Zurich-Institute of Energy Technology.
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UCF Faculty Cluster Initiative
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Provide the following information for all the core cluster personnel. Follow this format for each person.
DO NOT EXCEED TWO PAGES PER INVESTIGATOR.
NAME: Annie Wu
Cluster Lead: no
POSITION TITLE, DEPT, & UNIT and or COLLEGE:
Associate Professor, EECS, Computer Science, CECS
EDUCATION/TRAINING
DEGREE
(if applicable)
Completion
Date
YEAR
University of Michigan
BSE
1990
University of Michigan
MSE
1992
University of Michigan
PhD
1995
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION
FIELD OF STUDY
Computer
Engineering
Computer Science &
Engineering
Computer Science &
Engineering
NOTE: The Biographical Sketch may not exceed two pages. Follow the formats and
instructions below.
A. Personal Statement- your value to the cluster
My contribution to the cluster is research experience in the areas of genetic algorithms (GAs)
and multi-agent systems (MAS). Previous work includes collaboration with Dr. Talat Rahman
on using genetic algorithms to evolve nanocluster structures. I am interested in the use of GAs
and other evolutionary computation algorithms to solving complex open-ended design problems
and understanding the evolutionary mechanisms that can support both creative and practical
design. In addition, I am interested in coordination of distributed, decentralized teams of agents
to achieving cooperative team goals including structural design.
B. Contribution to Scholarship and Creative Activities
My research experience in the area of genetic algorithms includes analysis of the effects of
problem representation on evolvability, examination of redundancy in problem representations,
and application of genetic algorithms to control and design problems. Research experience in
the area of multi-agent systems has focused on distributed task allocation and team formation
and coordination. Publications include papers in the primary journals and conferences for GA
and MAS research. I am on the Editorial Board of the Evolutionary Computation Journal and
Memetic Computing Journal, and served on the Executive Board of the ACM Special Interest
Group for Genetic and Evolutionary Computation (previously the International Society for
Genetic and Evolutionary Computation) from 2002 to 2009.
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C. Evidence of Impact & Support
I have received research funding from both government and industry sources including ONR,
NSF, US Army Research Laboratory, SAIC, NAWCTSD, ITT Corporation, Soar Technology,
Praxis Inc., and General Dynamics. Collaborations have included joint projects with the Naval
Research Laboratory, UCF Institute for Simulation and Training, and various faculty members
from other academic institutions. I have given invited presentations at multiple universities,
industry labs, government research labs, conferences, and workshops.
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UCF Faculty Cluster Initiative
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Provide the following information for all the core cluster personnel. Follow this format for each person.
DO NOT EXCEED TWO PAGES PER INVESTIGATOR.
NAME: Jihua Gou
Cluster Lead: No
POSITION TITLE, DEPT, & UNIT and or COLLEGE:
Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, CECS
EDUCATION/TRAINING
DEGREE
(if applicable)
Completion
Date
YEAR
Chongqing University
BS
1993
Materials
Science &
Engineering
Chongqing University
MS
1996
Materials
Science &
Engineering
Shanghai Jiao Tong
University
PhD
1999
Materials
Science &
Engineering
Florida State University
PhD
2002
Industrial &
Manufacturing
Engineering
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION
FIELD OF STUDY
A. Personal Statement- your value to the cluster
Dr. Gou will contribute his research expertise in high temperature ceramic matrix composites
(CMC) towards energy conversion and propulsion applications. Particularly, his research
experience and capabilities in fiber-reinforced polymer derived ceramic (PDC) composites can
play a critical role in the cluster. Recently, the low-cost and scalable PDC composites have
attracted significant interests of energy conversion and propulsion industries. He completed one
project with NASA KSC to develop the basalt fiber reinforced PDC composites for launch pad
application. The other on-going project with FAA Center of Excellence in Commercial Space
Transportation (FAA COE CST) is to develop high temperature CMC thermal protection
systems (TPS) for space vehicles, rocket engines, and missile systems. The PDC composites
can also be applied for energy production/conversion such as gas turbines, aircraft engines, and
nuclear applications.
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B. Contribution to Scholarship and Creative Activities
Dr. Gou’s research group at UCF has being continuously develop high performance
composite materials and structures for structural and multifunctional applications. His composite
materials research is highly productive, leading to 5 book chapters, 80 peer-reviewed journal
papers and 110 conference articles. 17 publications appear on high quality scientific journals
(IF>3), including 1 on ACS Nano (IF: 12.062), 1 on Nanoscale (IF: 6.233), 1 on Physical
Chemistry Chemical Physics (IF: 4.198), 1 on IOP Nanotechnology (IF: 3.979), 1 on Soft Matter
(IF: 3.909), 6 on Applied Physics Letters (IF: 3.794), 2 on Composites Science and Technology
(IF: 3.818), 1 on Science and Technology of Advanced Materials (IF: 3.513), 2 on Composites
Part A (IF: 3.160), and 1 on Journal of Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials (IF: 3.048).
His publications have been cited more than 1,247 times with an h-index of 19 (from Google
Scholar). Dr. Gou received Best Poster Award from American Society of Ceramics (2014), UCF
CECS Distinguished Researcher Award (2012), Best Paper Award from American Society of
Civil Engineers (2010), and UCF MAE Researcher of the Year (2010 & 2009).
C. Evidence of Impact & Support
As a PI or Co-PI of 30 projects, Dr. Gou has received funding of more than $3M in total from
diverse resources, including NSF for nanopaper-making process ($197K), vibrational damping
(GOALI with Boeing Company, $45K) and ceramic nanocomposites ($86K), FAA Center of
Excellent in Commercial Space Transportation ($282K) and Space Florida ($242K) for thermal
protection systems, ONR ($250K) and ACS PRF ($55K) for fire retardant composites, NASA
($779K) and FSGC ($25K) for cryogenic composite tank, AFRL ($100K) for lightning strike
protection, Florida Center for Advanced Aero-Propulsion ($181K) for energy absorption, HB
Polymer Company ($340K) and Florida High Tech Corridor ($200K) for shape memory polymer
composites. He has developed strong collaboration/partnership with NASA KSC and MSFC,
AFRL, Boeing, HB Polymer, and other universities through multiple funded research projects.
He was invited to give distinguished seminars at many universities/industries and
keynotes/invited talks at several conferences such as International Conference on
Composites/Nano Engineering.
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Rational Design of Materials for Energy Conversion and Propulsion
Kuebler BioSketch
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Provide the following information for all the core cluster personnel. Follow this format for each person.
DO NOT EXCEED TWO PAGES PER INVESTIGATOR.
NAME: Stephen M. Kuebler
Cluster Lead: No
POSITION TITLE, DEPT, & UNIT and or COLLEGE: Assoc. Prof. of Chemistry and Optics
EDUCATION/TRAINING
Tulane University, New Orleans
BA
Completion
Date
YEAR
1991
University of Oxford, UK
D.Phil.
1998
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION
DEGREE
(if applicable)
FIELD OF STUDY
Chemistry
Chemistry
NOTE: The Biographical Sketch may not exceed two pages. Follow the formats and
instructions below.
A. Personal Statement- your value to the cluster
Chemistry is a key-stone discipline for addressing the technological challenges at the heart of energy
conversion and propulsion. To consider just one example, exploiting the power of the sun for energy
generation, storage, and cost-effective utilization requires new advances in organic and semiconductor
materials that provide competitive advantage in solar energy harvesting and energy storage. Kuebler
brings to the cluster a background in inorganic chemistry, polymer chemistry, optics, and nano-photonics.
His group is currently developing a complementary technology for low-cost solar-energy harvesting
based on large-area light-capturing plastics, called luminescent solar concentrators. He has an established
track record in nano-photonics, in which chemistry and optics are combined to make new materials and
devices with advances optical function. This work has been continuously funded by NSF and industry.
B. Contribution to Scholarship and Creative Activities
• Development of new material systems and processes for multi-photon 3D direct laser writing and their
use in creating functional nano-photonic materials and devices.
• Microfabrication of switchable diffractive micro-optical devices
• Use of two-photon absorbers for optical limiting in liquid crystal charge-transport media.
1.
J. L. Digaum, J. J. Pazos, J. Chiles, J. D' Archangel, G. Padilla, A. Tatulian, R. C. Rumpf,
S. Fathpour, G. D. Boreman and S. M. Kuebler*. "Tight control of light beams in photonic crystals
with spatially-variant lattice orientation." Opt. Express, 2014, 22(21), 25788 - 25804.
2.
S. M. Kuebler*, D. A. Narayanan, D. E. Karas and K. M. Wilburn. "Low-distortion surface
functionalization of polymeric microstructures." Macromolec. Chem. Phys. 2014, 215(16), 15331542. This work was featured on the journal's cover.
3.
C. J. Clukay, C. N. Grabill, M. A. Hettinger, A. Dutta, D. J. Freppon, A. Robledo, H. Heinrich, A.
Bhattacharya, S. M. Kuebler*. "Controlling formation of gold nanoparticles generated in situ at a
polymeric surface." Appl. Surf. Sci., 2014, 292, 128-136.
4.
A. Dutta, C. J. Clukay, C. N. Grabill, B. Yuan, D. J. Freppon, A. Bhattacharya, S. M. Kuebler,
H. Heinrich*. "Nanoscale characterization of gold nanoparticles for electroless deposition on
1
Rational Design of Materials for Energy Conversion and Propulsion
Kuebler BioSketch
polymeric surfaces." J. Microscopy, 2013, 251, 27-34.
5.
S. M. Kuebler*, H. E. Williams, D. J. Freppon, R. C. Rumpf, M. A. Melino. "Creation of threedimensional micro-photonic structures on the end-face of optical fibers." J. Laser Micro Nanoeng.
2012, 7, 293 - 298.
6.
D. Restrepo, K. E. Lynch, K. Giesler, S. M. Kuebler, and R. Blair*. "Low-temperature (210 ºC)
deposition of crystalline germanium via in situ disproportionation of GeI2." Mater. Res. Bull., 2012,
47, 3484-3488.
7.
A. Robledo, C. N. Grabill, S. M. Kuebler, A. Dutta, H. Heinrich, and A. Bhattacharya*.
"Morphologies from slippery ballistic deposition model: A bottom-up approach for nanofabrication."
Phys. Rev. E, 2011, 83, 051604-1 - 051604-9.
8.
A. Tal, Y.-S. Chen, H. E. Williams, R. C. Rumpf, and S. M. Kuebler*, “Fabrication and
characterization of three-dimensional copper metallodielectric photonic crystals,” Opt. Express
2007, 15, 18283-18293.
9.
Y.-S. Chen, A. Tal, D. B. Torrance, and S. M. Kuebler*. “Fabrication and characterization of threedimensional silver-coated polymeric microstructures.” Adv. Funct. Mater. 2006, 16(13), 1739-1744.
This work was featured on the issue cover.
C. Evidence of Impact & Support
Kuebler credit-share of contracts and grants totals $1,317,719.29 (external = $1,188,786.00; internal =
$128,933.29). Key awards are listed below.
"CAREER: Three-Dimensional Multi-Scale Metallodielectric Materials." S. M. Kuebler; NSF-DMR0748712; $574,840 (2/1/08 - 1/31/15).
"MRI: Development of a Multi-Scale Thermal-Mechanical-Spectroscopic System for in-Situ Materials
Characterization, Research, and Training." N. Orlovskaya, S. M. Kuebler, S. Raghavan, A. Gordon, M.
Ishigami; NSF DMR-1337758; $714,333; 8/16/2013 - 8/15/2014.
"Electroless Metallization onto Polymeric Surfaces: Synthesis, Analysis, and Modeling for Achieving
Controlled Nanoscale Morphologies." S. M. Kuebler, H. Heinrich, A. Bhattacharya; NSF-CHE-0809821;
$470,000; 7/1/08 - 6/30/11.
"ARRA: Purchase and Development of a Cyber-Enabled Broadly Tunable kHz Femtosecond Laser
System." K. D. Belfield, S. M. Kuebler, F. E. Hernandez, A. Gesquiere; NSF-CHE 0840431; $500,000;
08/01/2009 - 07/31/2012.
"Chalcogenide Materials and Functional Optics." S. M. Kuebler, K. C. Richardson; $25,000 (01/02/2013 11/27/2013) and $20,000 (06/07/2012 - 11/30/2012)
"UCF Component of Phase I with Prime Research LC for DARPA SBIR Awarded under Proposal D082007-0736.” S. M. Kuebler; DARPA via sub-contract through Prime Research; $31,952; #D082-0070736; 3/16/09 - 9/15/09.
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