Esther Takeuchi

Takeuchi to Present ECS Lecture at 250th Meeting

Esther Takeuchi (SUNY Distinguished Professor and William and Jane Knapp Chair in Energy and the Environment at Stony Brook University and Chief Scientist and Chair of the Interdisciplinary Science Department at Brookhaven National Laboratory) will present the ECS Lecture—“Electrochemistry: A Keystone of the Energy Future”—at the 250th ECS Meeting Plenary Session. Her participation is especially fitting as ECS celebrates its 250th meeting since its founding in 1902. As she noted, “Scientific participation and scientific discovery is a marathon, not a sprint; you have to be in it for the long haul. I think that idea is very reflective of the Society and its members.”¹

Holding more than 150 patents and in the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Prof. Takeuchi is best known for developing the lithium/silver vanadium oxide (Li/SVO) battery used in implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs), more than 150,000 of which are implanted annually in the United States.²  

An ECS member for over 40 years and Society President from 2011 to 2012, Prof. Takeuchi credits ECS with fostering connections across disciplines, sectors, and countries. In a conversation with ECS staff in June 2026, she discussed the themes of her ECS Lecture and the evolving role of electrochemistry in addressing global energy challenges. (more…)

One of Nobel laureate Dr. M. Stanley Whittingham’s earliest memories of ECS (he’s been a member for more than 50 years!) dates back to receiving a Young Author Award: “…when I got a Young Author Award and went to the Shamrock Hotel in Houston, the reception was around the pool, and the Texas Rangers came on their horses. And that was amazing!”^{1, 2}

(more…)

Proposals due on May 22, 2026

Are you advancing research in green energy technologies? There’s still time to apply for the ECS Toyota Young Investigator Fellowship as the proposal deadline has been extended to May 22, 2026.

Offered through a collaboration between The Electrochemical Society and Toyota Research Institute of North America, this highly regarded fellowship provides a minimum of $50,000 to support innovative work in areas such as batteries, fuel cells, hydrogen, and other sustainable energy solutions. The program is open to applicants based in Canada, Europe, Mexico, and the United States.

(more…)

The ECS Detroit Section invites you to “Advancing Battery Technologies: Scientific and Industrial Perspectives” with Prof. Ping Liu (University of California San Diego) and Dr. Yong Seok Kim (Samsung SDI) on April 15 at Nissan Technical Centre North America.   

(more…)

Boaz Mamo, Addionics

The ECS Detroit Section invites you to “Smart Metals for Next-Gen Batteries: How Porous 3D Current Collectors Redefine Cell Design for a New Era of Performance and Cost” presented by Boaz Mamo (Addionics) on April 7 at Mercedes-Benz R&D North America.  

Title: “Smart Metals for Next-Gen Batteries: How Porous 3D Current Collectors Redefine Cell Design for a New Era of Performance and Cost”  

Date: Tuesday, April 7, 2026 

Schedule: 1800h Posters and Dinner | 1900h Speakers 

Location: Mercedes-Benz R&D North America, 35555 W 12 Mile Rd, Farmington Hills, MI 48331  (more…)

Noël Hallemans

Noël Hallemans
University of Oxford

Date: January 21, 2026
Time: 1000–1100h ET

The Electrochemical Society hosted “Physics-based battery model parametrization from impedance data,” a live webinar by Noël Hallemans (University of Oxford), on January 21, 2026. A live Question and Answer session followed. Answers to some of the questions not addressed during the broadcast follow.

(more…)

Dr. Loraine Torres-Castro

Physicist Dr. Loraine Torres-Castro, Battery Safety Lead at Sandia National Laboratories, is serving as the lead organizer for the A01—New Approaches and Advances in Electrochemical Energy Systems Symposium at the 249th ECS Meeting in Seattle, WA, this spring.  

In a recent interview with ECS staff, Dr. Torres-Castro shared insights into the rewards and complexities of symposium leadership, encouraging colleagues to pursue similar roles. She is part of a dynamic new organizing team—which includes Dr. Yuliya Preger (Sandia National Laboratories) and Prof. Golareh (Goli) Jalilvand (University of South Carolina)—that has introduced a collaborative leadership model. Under this arrangement, the leads rotate each meeting: Dr. Preger led the 248th Meeting symposium, while Prof. Jalilvand is slated to lead it at the 250th. 

Learn more about symposium organizing and Dr. Torres-Castro.

(more…)