Sri Narayan, professor of chemistry at USC Dornsife, works with a liquid-based redox-flow battery in his lab. (Photo: Gus Ruelas.)<\/p>\n
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\n Faculty<\/p>\n
Chemist and sustainable energy innovator elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors<\/p>\n
Sri Narayan, professor of chemistry, is the third USC Dornsife faculty member to earn the prestigious honor. [3 min read]<\/p>\n
ByDarrin S. Joy<\/p>\n
December 7, 2021<\/p>\n
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Key takeaways:<\/p>\n
Sri Narayan is working on batteries that are sorely needed for green energy to fulfill its potential.
\nHis work could help make fossil fuels a relic.
\nHe hopes his work will also help global communities with little or no access to electricity.<\/p>\n
From Benjamin Franklin to Madam C. J. Walker to Steve Wozniak, American inventors hold a particular fascination among their fellow citizens, often recognized and lauded as the backbone of progress for the country.
\nThe National Academy of Inventors (NAI), established in 2010, recognizes these innovators and their contributions to society. Election as an NAI Fellow remains one of today\u2019s most prestigious honors for inventors.
\nThis year,\u00a0Sri Narayan, professor of\u00a0chemistry\u00a0at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, is among the latest group to receive this accolade.
\nNarayan is the third USC Dornsife faculty member to be elected an NAI Fellow, and he, along with Andrea Armani and Cyrus Shahabi of the\u00a0USC Viterbi School of Engineering, who were also elected this year, raise the university\u2019s overall tally of fellows to 21.
\n\u201cI am pleased to be recognized by this illustrious and creative group of academic researchers and also to be joining a talented group of NAI Fellows at USC,\u201d Narayan said. \u201cApart from the joy of recognition, my election as Fellow of the NAI reiterates that inventive and creative contributions by academia have a chance to be recognized as much as scholarship.\u201d
\nNarayan investigates, among many things, how to build\u00a0better batteries\u00a0and how sunlight and carbon dioxide can efficiently be converted to electricity. His studies aim to reduce dependence on fossil fuels by making the generation of energy from renewable sources, such as wind and sunlight, more practical.
\n\u201cThe goal of my research and inventions is to address the global challenge of achieving net-zero carbon emissions through the pervasive use of renewable energy in all spheres of human activity,\u201d he said, noting that he hopes his research also helps those struggling around the globe to meet their energy needs. \u201cI want my work on batteries to reach the neglected segments of the world population who have no access to electricity.\u201d
\nBefore joining USC Dornsife and the\u00a0USC Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute\u00a0in 2010, Narayan spent two decades at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he spearheaded efforts to develop fuel cells and led the Electrochemical Technologies Group. While at JPL, he pioneered the use of methanol as a power source in fuel cells and worked to advance hybrid power sources for space and defense applications, among many projects.
\nHis research at USC Dornsife aimed at developing new battery technologies includes the use of lithium-sulfur, which is safer than current lithium-ion materials and can hold as much as three times the energy while using abundant, less-expensive materials. He also works on iron-based batteries and\u00a0liquid-based redox-flow batteries, technologies that hold particular promise for storing energy generated by renewable sources, such as sunlight and wind.
\nHis work is available through more than 80 journal publications, and he holds more than four dozen patents.
\nNarayan, who has mentored numerous students during his career at USC Dornsife, sees his election as an NAI Fellow as another opportunity to share his enthusiasm for science and motivate future generations to work for the benefit of the planet.
\n\u201cI hope I will be able to further inspire my students to exercise their creative talents to address the hardest global challenges of our time in energy, environment, health and equity.\u201d<\/p>\n
The post Chemist and sustainable energy innovator elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors appeared first on News and Events.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sri Narayan, professor of chemistry, is the third USC Dornsife faculty member to earn the prestigious honor. [3 min read]
\nThe post Chemist and sustainable energy innovator elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors appeared first on News and Events.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":106,"featured_media":10256,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[260],"tags":[251,63,22,79,70],"class_list":["post-10254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chemistry","tag-national-academy-of-inventors","tag-sri-narayan","tag-usc-dornsife","tag-usc-loker-hydrocarbon-research-institute","tag-usc-viterbi-school-of-engineering"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n