TomKat Center Welcomes Inaugural Class of Postdoctoral Fellows
The TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy recently awarded its first group of postdoctoral fellowships. Two years in duration, these awards are intended to foster new discoveries by exceptional young researchers working at the nexus of sustainable energy, food, water, transportation, the environment, and human health.
Applications were considered from around the world, with four fellows ultimately selected. These four fellows are expected to make fundamental contributions to the interdisciplinary energy-related work being conducted by Stanford faculty. TomKat Center director Stacey Bent emphasized the importance of this new opportunity for both the fellowship recipients and the broader Stanford energy community: “The work currently being done at Stanford to advance the clean energy frontier will benefit from the fresh perspectives brought by these outstanding young scholars.”
Adam Hawkins (Cornell University)
mentored by Professor Roland Horne, Energy Resources Engineering
Project Title: An Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) Method for Mapping the Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Heat Exchange in a Discrete Fracture Network (DFN)
Hawkins will work on novel methods for mapping the flow of subsurface fluids, which will ultimately aid the growth of several geothermal and water-based energy technologies and also bolster the efficient management of the planet’s groundwater resources.
Uk Sim (Seoul National University)
mentored by Professor Stacey Bent, Chemical Engineering
Project Title: Develop and Study Catalysis for Electrochemical Ammonia Production
Sim’s research seeks ways to reduce the energy input required for the production of ammonia, a key molecule globally in both agriculture and new sustainable energy technologies.
Michaelangelo Tabone (UC Berkeley)
mentored by Professor Ram Rajagopal, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Project Title: Minimizing Environmental Impacts by Managing Distributed Energy Resources
Tabone’s research will focus on ways to analyze and optimize claims about energy efficiency in the public and private sectors using new data-driven tools.
Michal Vadai (Tel Aviv University)
mentored by Professor Jennifer Dionne, Materials Science & Engineering
Project Title: In-Situ Visualization of Plasmon-Induced Photocatalytic Reactions
Vadai’s research searches for new ways to assess the photocatalytic potential of nanoparticles drawn from earth-abundant metals.
