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Shajjad Chowdhury, an ORNL power electronics researcher, is designing a more compact and power-dense capacitor that will help maximize electric vehicle driving range. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

As a researcher in power electronics, Shajjad Chowdhury is focused on exceeding capacity. In a lab space at the National Transportation Research Center at ORNL, he’s developing a novel capacitor and inverter component that will shrink the size and reduce the cost of electric drive units. He sees this as a potential step to increase electric vehicle adoption in the United States.

BioHome 3D sits on the campus of UMaine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center and is made from bioderived materials that were developed in collaboration with ORNL researchers. Credit: UMaine

On the grounds of the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center sits the nation’s first additively manufactured home made entirely from biobased materials - BioHome3D.

Xiao-Ying Yu

Xiao-Ying Yu, a distinguished scientist in the Materials Science and Technology Division of the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has recently been chosen for several prominent editorial roles.

Yue Yuan, Weinberg Distinguished Staff Fellow at ORNL, is researching ways to create new materials to help the environment. Credit: Genevieve Martin/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Growing up in China, Yue Yuan stood beneath the world’s largest hydroelectric dam, built to harness the world’s third-longest river. Her father brought her to Three Gorges Dam every year as it was being constructed across the Yangtze River so she could witness its progress.

Image of outerspace

Few things carry the same aura of mystery as dark matter. The name itself radiates secrecy, suggesting something hidden in the shadows of the Universe.

Andrew Ullman, Distinguished Staff Fellow at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is using chemistry to devise a better battery

Andrew Ullman, Distinguished Staff Fellow at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is using chemistry to devise a better battery

Andrea Delgado, Distinguished Staff Fellow at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, uses quantum computing to help elucidate the fundamental particles of the universe. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Andrea Delgado is looking for elementary particles that seem so abstract, there appears to be no obvious short-term benefit to her research.

Steven Campbell and Radha Krishna-Moorthy discuss part of the power electronics that make up the Smart Universal Power Electronics Regulator technology developed at ORNL. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Researchers at ORNL are helping modernize power management and enhance reliability in an increasingly complex electric grid.

Brenden Ortiz, an ORNL Wigner Distinguished Staff Fellow, is helping design the next generation of quantum materials. Credit: Genevieve Martin/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

For as long as he could remember, Brenden Ortiz wanted to do only one thing. “My childhood dream was to be a scientist. All I wanted to do was tinker in a lab like a pure scientist,” Ortiz said.

Jeff Foster, Distinguished Staff Fellow at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is looking for ways to control polymer sequencing for a variety of uses. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Chemist Jeff Foster is looking for ways to control sequencing in polymers that could result in designer molecules to benefit a variety of industries, including medicine and energy.