Connecticut Global Fuel Cell Center

Today, significant interdisciplinary fuel cell research and development activities are underway within the School of Engineering and involve faculty from the physical sciences, as well. Among our core cadre of researchers are:

Mark Aindow, Professor and Director, Materials Science & Engineering Program, Department of Chemical, Materials and Biomolecular Engineering
Research Interest: Diesel fuel reformation, aerogel/precious metal catalysts, hydrodesulfurization
Email: m.aindow@uconn.edu

Reda Ammar, Professor and Head, Computer Science & Engineering
Research Interest: Computer simulation of fuel cell systems, parallel processing methods,
multi-layer performance modeling and analysis
Email: reda@engr.uconn.edu

Mehdi Anwar, Interim Director, CT Global Fuel Cell Center, Associate Dean for Research & Graduate Education, School of Engineering
Research Interest: Optimization & miniaturization of power conditioning circuits for fuel cell systems
Email: anwara@engr.uconn.edu

Theodore Bergman, Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Research Interest: Thermal Systems analysis, heat and mass transfer in fuel cell stacks
Email: tberg@engr.uconn.edu

C. Barry Carter, Professor and Head, Department of Chemical, Materials and Biomolecular Engineering
Research Interests: Relating structure, chemistry and bonding of materials to properties; solid-state reactions, ceramic materials, microscopy
Email: cbcarter@engr.uconn.edu

Baki Cetegen, Professor and Department Head, Mechanical Engineering
Research Interest: In-situ fuel cell diagnostics, near infra-red laser adsorption spectroscopy - water, carbon and carbon monoxide concentration
Email: cetegen@engr.uconn.edu

Wilson Chiu, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Research Interest: Electrochemical modeling and thermal control of underwater fuel cell systems
Email: wchiu@engr.uconn.edu

Eric Donkor, Associate Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Research Interest: Distributed nanostructures for fuel cell bipolar plate design, High power D.C. to A.C. converters, Electrical measurement and characterization of fuel cell systems.
Email: donkor@engr.uconn.edu

Amir Faghri, United Technologies Chair Professor in Thermal-Fluids Engineering, Mechanical Engineering
Research Interest: Thermal systems analysis and application of heat pipe technology in portable fuel cell stacks and systems
Email: faghri@engr.uconn.edu

Xinyu Huang, Assistant Research Professor, CT Global Fuel Cell Center
Research Interest: Mechanics and durability of functional and structural composite materials
Email: Xinyu@engr.uconn.edu

Faquir Jain, Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Research Interest: Semiconductor processing techniques for fuel cell application, miniature fuel cell systems, low power applications
Email: fcj@engr.uconn.edu

Bahram Javidi, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Research Interest: Microstructural evolution in SOFC's, 3-D digital holography, interfacial relations
Email: bahram@engr.uconn.edu

Jeong-Ho Kim, Assistant Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Research Interest: Solid oxide fuel cells; Functionally graded electrodes; PEM fuel cells
Email: jhkim@engr.uconn.edu

Russ Kunz, Professor-in-Residence, CT Global Fuel Cell Center
Research Interest: Fuel cell technology and electrochemistry
Email: russkunz@engr.uconn.edu

Baikun Li, Assistant Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Research Interest: Biological hydrogen production as a sustainable environmental technology.
Email: Baikun@engr.uconn.edu

Robert Magnusson, Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Research Interest: Optical sensors in fuel cells, surface plasmon resonance, dielectric resonant waveguide
Email: robert.magnusson@uconn.edu

Ramesh Malla, Associate Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Research Interest: Structural and mechanical effects on fuel cell integrity and performance, Finite element modeling and analysis, Contact stress between layers and clamping force effects, Dynamic/impact and Thermal effects
Email: mallar@engr.uconn.edu

Harris Marcus, Professor and Director, Institute of Materials Science
Research Interest: Carbide metallurgy and laser sintering, miniature fuel cell systems, low power applications
Email: hmarcus@mail.ims.uconn.edu

Trent Molter, Research Scientist and Business Development Officer
Research Interest: Regenerative fuel cells, hydrogen production, electrochemical compressors, fuel cell materials and hydrogen electrolyzers
Email: tmolter@engr.uconn.edu

Kenneth Noll, Professor, Molecular and Cell Biology
Research Interest: Microbial fuel cells, catabolic fuel oxidation, Computer modeling methods
Email: kenneth.noll@uconn.edu

Fotios Papadimitrakoupoulos, Professor, Chemistry and Associate Director, Institute of Materials Science
Research Interest: Carbon nanotube separation and assembly, miniature fuel cell systems, low power applications
Email: papadim@mail.ims.uconn.edu

Richard Parnas, Associate Professor and Director, Chemical Engineering Program, Department of Chemical, Materials and Biomolecular Engineering
Research Interest: Optical fiber based sensors, monitoring in-situ membrane operating performance
Email: rparnas@mail.ims.uconn.edu

Ugur Pasaogullari, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Research Interest: PEM fuel cells, multiphase transport phenomena
E-mail: ugurpasa@engr.uconn.edu

Ranga Pitchumani, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Research Interest: Simulation and optimization of PEM fuel cells, numerical methods, parametric design
Email: r.pitchumani@engr.uconn.edu

Sanjuthevar Rajasekaran, UTC Professor of Computer Science & Engineering and Director, BECAT
Research Interest: Computer simulation of fuel cell systems, parallel processing methods, multi-layer performance modeling and analysis
Email: rajasek@engr.uconn.edu

Michael Renfro, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Research Interest: In-situ fuel cell diagnostics, near infra-red laser adsorption spectroscopy, water, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide concentration
Email: michael.renfro@uconn.edu

Kenneth Reifsnider, Research Professor
Research Interest: Fatigue analysis and system reliability for PEM and SOFC fuel cells

Nigel M. Sammes, Research Professor
Research Interest: Solid state ionics and development of high temperature materials for solid oxide fuel cells

Thomas Seery, Associate Professor, Chemistry
Research Interest: Optical fiber based sensors, monitoring in-situ membrane operating performance
Email: thomas.seery@uconn.edu

Leon Shaw, Professor, Chemical, Materials and Biomolecular Engineering
Research Interest: PEM fuel cells, bipolar plates, carbon/polymer composites
Email: lshaw@mail.ims.uconn.edu

Montgomery Shaw, A.T. DiBenedetto Distinguished Professor, Chemical, Materials and Biomolecular Engineering
Research Interest: Phase behavior in polymer solutions and blends, aging of polymer electrolytes
Email: shawmt@uconnvm.uconn.edu

Alevtina Smirnova, Assistant Research Professor, Chemical, Materials and Biomolecular Engineering
Research Interest: Novel materials (ceramics, composites, polymers and catalysts) for SOFC, PEMFC and DMFC. Modeling of fuel cell system performance
Email: alevtina@engr.uconn.edu

Steven Suib, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor and Head, Department of Chemistry
Research Interest: Development of CO tolerant fuel cell catalysts
Email: steven.suib@uconn.edu

Jiong Tang, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Research Interest: PEM fuel cells, system level dynamic modeling, control strategy
Email: jtang@engr.uconn.edu

Mei Wei, Assistant Professor, Chemical, Materials and Biomolecular Engineering
Research Interest: Nanoparticle deposition methods, interfacial integrity, tubular SOFC's
Email: m.wei@mail.ims.uconn.edu

Robert Weiss, UTC Professor of Advanced Materials & Processing, and Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor
Research Interest: Development of polymer blends for electrically conductive materials for application in PEM fuel cells
Email: rweiss@mail.ims.uconn.edu

Ben Wilhite, Assistant Professor, Chemical, Materials and Biomolecular Engineering
Research Interest: Heat integration in microchannel arrays for fuel reforming and fuel cells. Multiphase flow in fuel cell microchannels.
Email: bwilhite@engr.uconn.edu

Bi Zhang, Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Research Interest: Improved machining and manufacturing techniques for PEM fuel cell systems
Email: zhang@engr.uconn.edu