We are pleased to announce the candidates for ECS Society Officers positions in the upcoming election.
The early months of each year are an exciting time at ECS, when the officers’ election takes place from January through March. Elected officers constitute the organization’s executive committee and include the following positions: president, three vice presidents, secretary, and treasurer.
This year, we vote for the new President, 3rd Vice President, and Secretary. Voting begins January 15. We encourage all ECS members to exercise their right to vote. Read the candidates’ bios and candidacy statements below, followed by voting instructions.
Vote now! Voting closes at 2400h, March 15, 2024
Candidate for President
Colm O’Dwyer
Bio
Colm O’Dwyer is a Professor of Chemical Energy in the School of Chemistry at University College Cork (UCC) in Ireland and Principal Investigator at the Environmental Research Institute, Tyndall National Institute, and Advanced Materials and BioEngineering Research Centre.
He received his PhD in Semiconductor Electrochemistry and Physics in 2003 and conducted postdoctoral research on ultracold atom cooling and surface science at the Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse III. From 2008-2012, Prof. O’Dwyer was awarded the prestigious Science Foundation Ireland Stokes Lecturer on nanomaterials. Since 2012, he has led a multidisciplinary research group at UCC developing 3D printed batteries, energy storage materials, optoelectronic materials and processes, and photonic structures. His current research interests include 3D printed energy storage devices and real-time photonics for examining optoelectronic materials and energy storage materials, with large European Union (EU) Horizon Europe consortia and through national basic science and commercialization awards.
Prof. O’Dwyer is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics and was a 2017 Bell Labs Prize recipient. Over the years, with talented students, postdocs, and collaborators, Prof. O’Dwyer has coauthored more than 280 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and ECS Transactions articles covering most of the Society’s topical interest areas.
Prof. O’Dwyer has been an ECS member since attending the 199th ECS Meeting in Washington, D.C., as a graduate student in 2001. In his 22 years of membership, he has served ECS continuously in many roles. He organized or co-organized over 40 ECS symposia in electrochemical and solid state topics since 2007; through the Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Subcommittee, helped deliver new collaborative symposia across several ECS divisions; and served the Electronic and Photonics Division as an Executive Committee Member for over 12 years, and more recently as 1st Vice Chair and then Division Chair. Prof. O’Dwyer has chaired the Publications Subcommittee, Meetings Subcommittee, and Technical Affairs Committee. Since 2021, he has been a member of the Board of Directors and elected Vice-President since 2021. As an award-winning advocate for open access publication and open science, he has also guest edited several JES and JSS Special Focus Issues.
Candidacy Statement
One of ECS’s many strengths is the diversity of its community, which we see at meetings, committees, divisions, and in the pages of our journals, ECS Interface, our blog, and social networks. Each year, our meetings showcase the collegiality and multidisciplinary nature that make this Society a premier venue for advancing electrochemical and solid state science and technology.
ECS is a nonprofit organization that exists for its members and the wider community to disseminate the advances made by many people for the sake of a better, healthier, safer, and greener future. The Society successfully launched ECS Sensors Plus and ECS Advances, new journals that open the door to full open access publication. The community’s engagement and interest has been exemplary and beyond our initial expectations. With new initiatives to grow our journals, my commitment to all members is to continue these ongoing initiatives and foster new ones to maximize our scope, attractiveness, and accessibility to all authors across academia and industry R&D.
As President, I will continue to advocate for programs to elevate our STEM education and outreach in all its forms. With the Society’s new educational programs centered around upskilling and battery workforce development, I plan to work with the leadership team and divisions to scope parallel opportunities called out in the CHIPS and Science Act in the U.S. and Chips Act in the EU. It is important that ECS expand its leadership in providing industry-facing opportunities for re-skilling in the many electrochemical and solid state science and technology disciplines that are core to the workforce development needs for all the technologies we use now and need in the future. If elected as our President, I pledge to engage with our divisions, other societies, funding agencies, policymakers, and our student chapters to ensure diversity in our people, and that our community’s activities and programs grow and thrive. After all, ECS is the only society whose core mission and topical interest areas, taken together, span the key technologies and enabling science underpinning the sustainable, electric future.
It is an honor to be nominated. If elected, my professional and personal pledge is to serve ECS and the interests of all the divisions, you, the members, and our wider community, and to play my part in growing the Society and its impact on our membership and the extensive community that actively engages in the ECS mission. Thank you for considering my candidacy.
Candidates for 3rd Vice President
Y. Shirley Meng and Robert Savinell
Y. Shirley Meng
Y. Shirley Meng is a Professor at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago. She serves as Chief Scientist of the Argonne Collaborative Center for Energy Storage Science (ACCESS), Argonne National Laboratory. Dr. Meng is Principal Investigator of the Laboratory for Energy Storage and Conversion (LESC) research group, established at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) since 2009. She held the Zable Chair Professor in Energy Technologies at UCSD from 2017-2021.
In 2005, Dr. Meng received her PhD in Advanced Materials for Micro- and Nano-Systems from the Singapore-MIT Alliance. She completed her BS in Materials Science with first-class honors at Nanyang Technological University Singapore in 2000. Dr. Meng received prestigious awards, including the 2023 ECS Battery Division Research Award, the 2022 C3E Technology and Innovation Award, the 2020 Faraday Medal of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the 2019 IBA (International Battery Association) Research Award, and the 2016 ECS Charles W. Tobias Young Investigator Award. She is the author and co-author of close to 300 peer-reviewed journal articles, two book chapters, and six issued patents. Her first publication appeared in 2003 in the Journal of The Electrochemical Society.
Throughout the last decade, Dr. Meng has devoted her volunteer time to ECS, serving the ECS Battery Division as member at large, Treasurer (2014-2016), Secretary (2016-2018), Vice Chair (2018-2020), and Chair (2020-2022). She also served on a number of battery division and Society committees.
Candidacy Statement
I am delighted to announce my candidacy for the position of 3rd Vice President of The Electrochemical Society, of which I have been a member since 2003.
I am an electrochemist and materials scientist specializing in battery materials. My career has been dedicated to advancing electrochemistry with a particular focus on designing and characterizing battery materials for beyond-lithium-ion technologies, such as solid state, lithium-metal, and sodium batteries. I have led my team in pioneering and developing various integrated advanced operando/in situ characterization techniques to probe atomic rearrangement in energy storage materials and applying the knowledge in design, synthesis, and optimization of energy storage materials and devices. These achievements have allowed me to contribute to ongoing global efforts towards sustainable energy transitions.
As a member of ECS for over two decades, I envision my home society becoming a driving force in making electrochemistry the field of this century. If elected, my goal is to attract talented individuals from various backgrounds to join this community, thereby scaling electrochemistry at an unprecedented pace to achieve the carbon neutrality goals of our society at large. To accomplish this vision, I propose to implement several initiatives. First, I hope to establish a more creative membership scheme, allowing individuals from diverse training backgrounds and disciplines to join ECS and contribute their unique perspectives. I will develop a plan to enhance membership benefits to provide increased value and support to our members, facilitating their professional growth and networking opportunities.
Furthermore, I am committed to expanding the impact of ECS beyond the scientific community and toward the public. This will involve educational programs, outreach events, and activities to raise awareness about the importance of electrochemistry in addressing global challenges.
Equity, diversity, and inclusion are principles I hold dear. I will work diligently to foster an environment within ECS that embraces these core values. By creating an inclusive atmosphere, we can ensure that everyone has equal opportunities to contribute to ECS in meaningful ways.
Last, I will work with our community to increase ECS revenues by fostering stronger corporate memberships and institutional partnerships. Through grants, scholarships, and other funding opportunities, ECS will be able to support more students, junior researchers or professionals seeking career change in the field. Additionally, increased revenues will allow ECS to expand its open access publication policies, benefiting a broader range of individuals.
I served the ECS Battery Division as member at large, Treasurer (2014-2016), Secretary (2016-2018), Vice Chair (2018-2020), and Chair (2020-2022). I sat on a number of division and Society committees throughout the decade. I am honored to present myself as a candidate for 3rd Vice President as I see volunteering as a meaningful way to build a better community. With my background, experience, and passion for electrochemistry, I am committed to driving the Society forward and elevating the field to new heights. I kindly request your support and look forward to the opportunity to serve as your 3rd Vice President.
Robert Savinell
Bio
Robert F. Savinell is a Distinguished University Professor, and a George S. Dively Professor of Engineering at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). His research is directed at fundamental science and mechanistic issues of electrochemical processes, and device design and development. He is the co-inventor of the first high-temperature proton-conducting polymer membrane based on phosphoric acid doping of PBI. For over a decade, his research focused on high-temperature polymer membrane fuel cells. In 1981, Savinell co-authored the first experimental paper reporting results of the all-iron flow battery. During the past decade, this chemistry has been developed in a commercial product and a variation of the original design was developed for long-duration storage with Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) funding. Development for commercial applications now continues through an industry partner.
Prof. Savinell earned his PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of Pittsburg under the guidance of Prof. Chung-Chiun Liu. He was a research engineer at Diamond Shamrock Corporation and faculty member at the University of Akron. In 1986, Prof. Savinell joined the faculty of CWRU where he was Director of the Ernest B. Yeager Center for Electrochemical Sciences for ten years and Dean of Engineering from 2000-2007. During a 2007 sabbatical year as a visiting professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he worked with Professor Yang Shao-Horn and her students. Prof. Savinell was also a visiting professor at Yamanashi University and Danmarks Tekniske Universitet. Currently, he is an Adjunct Professor of Physics at the University of Limerick and the PI and Director of the DOE Emerging Frontiers Research Center on Breakthrough Electrolytes for Energy Storage (BEES) (2018-2026).
Prof. Savinell served in all ECS Industrial Electrolytic and Electrochemical Engineering Division officer positions, including Chair, and sat on many ECS committees and subcommittees. Since 2013, he has been Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of The Electrochemical Society. He is proud to have been named a Fellow of The Electrochemical Society in 2000. He is also a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (2003) and Fellow of the International Society of Electrochemistry (2013). In 2022, Prof. Savinell was honored to receive the ECS Vittorio de Nora Award for distinguished contributions to electrochemical engineering and technology. In 2020, he was awarded the CWRU Frank and Dorothy Hummel Prize for exceptional achievements in teaching, research, and scholarly service.
Candidate Statement
I have always been an advocate of ECS’s mission to advance theory and practice of electrochemical and solid state science and technology and allied subjects. Over the decades (centuries), ECS has done this through its high-quality meetings, publications, and other support and advocacy activities. At the core of ECS’s success is the highly motivated community of scientists and engineers who believe in this mission and work hard to accomplish it. ECS is special to so many of us because of the people who engage in it, work for it, and lead it. My focus will be on strengthening and building this community of electrochemical and solid state scientists and nurturing their success to advance the field and lead our community in the future.
I recall my first presentation at an ECS meeting—it was in Boston, and the session chair, Zoltan Nagy, telephoned me before the meeting and welcomed me to ECS. At the meeting, José Giner introduced me. Dr. Nagy was already a well-known electroanalytical chemist and Dr. Giner was an accomplished electrochemical technologist. They invited me to join them and the other speakers of the day for dinner. This early exposure to ECS made me feel welcomed and valued and contributed significantly to my lifelong career in electrochemistry and service to the Society and its members. My goal is to continue this tradition of fostering the inclusion and assimilation of scientists and engineers into ECS, to help set them up for success in their respective fields and prepare them for service to our community.
A related goal is to increase the diversity of people in our field. We all know that over the past four or more decades, solid state and electrochemistry science and electrochemical engineering have become more recognized as fundamental to solving society’s major issues of energy, environment, water, food, information technology, and other areas. To solve these mega problems, we need to foster scientists and engineers from all genders, races, geographical locations, and age demographics. This requires programs not just for STEM recruitment, but also for nurturing younger ECS members to excel in their research and scholarship and into leadership positions that further advance the fields ECS represents. In my experience, ECS has a tradition of nurturing young scientists (see my first paragraph). Attending ECS meetings, one sees a broad range of ages with growing numbers of younger scientists and engineers and more gender diversity. The gender and geographical diversity of ECS leadership has also grown over the years and we have all benefited. But we could certainly be more intentional and strategic about how we expand this culture of inclusivity and make activities towards these goals more effective. For example, we have an international resource of potential mentors and mentees. ECS could be the way to connect them.
At my core, I am an educator. Consequently, another goal of mine is to enhance the ECS mission through alternative and advanced education opportunities. Many scientists and engineers across all fields are incorporating solid state and electrochemical measurement methods and fundamental electron transfer insight into their research and development activities. ECS can serve this expanding community by providing resources for fundamental understanding of the underpinnings, to experimental techniques, modeling, and theory. ECS journals now have perspectives and methods papers written by experts. Interface includes articles that summarize important fields. ECS meetings offer courses, and our technical divisions offer tutorial symposia. These activities should continue to be fostered and expanded. In addition, electrochemical researchers have historically had a culture of transforming fundamentals into processes and devices. Many of our members have created new companies and are leaders of small and large companies. Looking for ways to connect this expertise into our ECS culture through mentorship and education will benefit all our members and society at large.
I had the opportunity to be Director of the Yeager Center for Electrochemistry, Dean of the Case School of Engineering, and to lead several research centers involving multiple faculty and disciplines supported by DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), ARPA-E, and DOE-BES (Department of Energy Basic Energy Sciences). Through these leadership positions, I have come to appreciate that there are many smart people with good ideas. I will be attentive to them for better ways to meet our mission and achieve our goals. I will work with our leadership structure and bylaws to implement new and continuing initiatives. Being Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of The Electrochemical Society over the past ten years has also taught me that there is often more than one side to a story, and that ethics and cultures may be different in various populations. My commitment is to try to understand all the perspectives and opinions of the ECS membership.
I ask you for your vote. The role of ECS 3rd Vice President is certainly not a stepping-stone for me to something else, and I will be honored to serve ECS and its members in this way.
Candidates for Secretary
Gessie Brisard and Jessica Koehne
Gessie Brisard
Bio
Gessie Brisard is a Professor of Chemistry at the Université de Sherbrooke, where she obtained a PhD in electrochemistry in 1990. Upon completing postdoctoral studies at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, she joined her alma mater in 1992 as Assistant Professor in the Chemistry Department and became a full professor in 2004. Her dedication and involvement at her university led her to serve as Vice Dean of Academia and Secretary of the Faculty of Science from 2007-2010.
Prof. Brisard’s expertise is in analytical electrochemistry, electrocatalysis, and energy production and storage. She has developed research programs in the field of electrocatalysis, namely structure-sensitivity of electroreduction processes on copper single crystal and surface modification for high-aspect-ratio copper TSV insulation in Via-last processes. Brisard’s research also focused on cathode material for lithium batteries, carbon dioxide reduction, and electrodeposition in ionic liquids. Her knowledge of electrochemistry in nonaqueous solvents of the interfacial behavior of non-aqueous electrolytes, with application to lithium batteries and metal deposition in nonconventional media, has led to successful collaborations with the Institut de recherche d’Hydro-Québec and Alcan-Rio Tinto, the Canadian mining company and aluminum giant.
Prof. Brisard became an ECS student member in 1986 and received the ECS Canada Section Student Award in 1989. This recognition consolidated her involvement with the Society. A long-standing member of the ECS Canada Section, she has been a diligent executive member for many years. During her term as President, the ECS Canada Section received the Society’s Gwendolyn B. Wood Section Excellence Award. Early in her academic career, Prof. Brisard volunteered as a symposium organizer and has since planned numerous symposia for the ECS Canada Section and ECS biannual meetings. She remains involved with the long-established electrocatalysis symposium, which she started with the late ECS member, Prof. Andrzej Wieckowski. Prof. Brisard has been actively involved with ECS committees in the areas of governance, meetings, and publications, having served on the Council of Sections, Society Meeting Committee, Interface Advisory Board, and Institutional Engagement Committee, among others. She also chaired the ECS Physical and Analytical Electrochemistry Division and served in various positions on the ECS Board of Directors, including as Treasurer from 2018-2022.
Statement of Candidacy
I am sincerely honored and deeply touched to be nominated for the position of Secretary. I am delighted to be considered for this important electrochemistry and solid state technology professional society’s executive committee. ECS has been a significant part of my life for more than 35 years! I have seen where ECS came from and where it is going, and I am willing to continue being engaged, more than ever, as a volunteer.
As ECS Secretary, I will assume responsibility for ensuring that the organization advances the Society’s mission, so it continues to maintain its pivotal role in the members’ professional lives. I will be fully dedicated and participate in the work and discussions regarding, among other things, Individual Membership Committee issues as well as Education Committee decisions where I believe I can make a difference as an executive member. Personally, I especially want to work for students and open opportunities for them.
As Secretary, I will make all the efforts in my power to support and encourage all members’ activities and pay special attention to the student level, to assure that the Society continues to sponsor high-profile research dissemination and sustain the healthy involvement and participation of our students.
As Secretary, I will be a respectful member of the ECS Executive Committee and Board of Directors, and as requested, report on all Society activities and assist the Executive Director and staff members achieve the Society’s objectives. I realize that participating on an ECS committee is an important responsibility, and I am fully committed to being part of it again. I will take my role of guidance and oversight seriously.
I pledge to work with you, my fellow members of the Society, as I did as Treasurer, to ensure that we value diversity within the Society and, as responsible scientists, secure the organization’s future by promoting partnership and collaboration. I hope you will give me your vote of confidence and support. I repeat my pledge to you; ECS has been driven by committed individuals for more than 120 years, and as Secretary, it will be my honor to continue that tradition.
Jessica Koehne
Bio
Jessica E. Koehne is a senior scientist in the Microfluidics and Instrumentation Branch at NASA Ames Research Center. There, she currently leads the Nanosensors and Nanoelectronics Group, a multidisciplinary group of scientists and engineers. With a commitment to the next generation of scientists and engineers and to diversity, she has mentored 75 students in her lab. Students ranged from high school to graduate levels, including 49 with underserved and underrepresented backgrounds.
Dr. Koehne joined the NASA Ames Center for Nanotechnology in 2001 and was awarded the NASA Ames Full Time Graduate Study Fellowship in 2004. She earned her PhD in Analytical Chemistry from the University of California, Davis, in 2009. She has received numerous honors and awards, including the 2012 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) and the 2018 Women in Aerospace Achievement Award. Since 2014, she has served on the ECS Sensors Division, where she is currently Past Chair.
Candidate Statement
From understanding the world around us, to creating next generation technologies to support a sustainable future, electrochemistry is an attractive solution. The multidisciplinary nature of electrochemistry is embraced by ECS. Its breadth of technical divisions, cross-technical-division symposia, and diverse membership are a testament to that fact. Since attending my first ECS meeting in 2003, I have been hooked. I feel that the excellent technical content in our meetings and publications is the best method to attract the next generation of members.
I have been a committed member of the Society with roles ranging from Chair of the ECS Sensors Division to member of the Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Subcommittee. With successful interdisciplinary symposia such as Electrochemistry in Space, we have brought in new attendees, some whom were previously unfamiliar with our Society. During my time as ECS Sensor Division Chair, I participated in the release of the new ECS journal, ECS Sensors Plus, which will further expand the Society’s reach to potential new members who may not have attended our meetings. ECS has been an important part of my development and career. I wish to continue my service to grow the ECS community, from the diversity of the science, to the diversity of its members. I am truly honored to be a candidate for ECS Secretary. If elected, I will continue my service to ECS to promote all members and work to grow the Society.
Electronic Voting Instructions
* Please be sure that your ECS membership is current before attempting to log in to the electronic proxy ballot.
Proceed directly to the electronic proxy ballot (opens January 15) and follow these easy steps to cast your vote:
1. Enter your ECS member number and password. To find your ECS member number, log into your ECS My Account. (Highlighted in yellow below).
2. If you have trouble logging into the system, contact customer service.
3. After you log on, your electronic proxy ballot opens. Enter your vote for each office. Space is provided if you choose to write in a candidate.
4. You can only vote once.
5. Voting should only take a few minutes of your time.
Vote
— The voting deadline is 2400h, March 15, 2024 —
We have an outstanding slate of officers. Please exercise your membership privileges by voting today! Your input on the leadership of ECS counts.
