NTU Vice President (Industry) wins top international award for battery research

NTU Singapore’s Distinguished University Professor and Vice President (Industry) Shirley Meng has received one of the highest honours in the field of solid state ionics, which has applications in next-generation batteries, new methods to extract polluting chemicals from water, and advances in memory storage and healthcare.

The International Society for Solid State Ionics (ISSI) Mid-Career Researcher Award, given once every two years, recognises exceptional leadership and innovation in the field. Prof Meng received the award on 8 July at the SSI-25 conference held in Singapore, as a joint honour with Prof Naoaki Yabuuchi of Yokohama National University.

“It is a special honour to be recognised as a mid-career researcher because battery research itself is at a middle point,” said Prof Meng, who holds a joint appointment at the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering. “There has been both an exceptional amount of work done in the past and a great amount of work ahead as we continue to meet the world's energy challenges.”

Many modern batteries powering EVs and electronics and keeping renewable energy on the grid are based on lithium. Named one of the world’s most cited researchers by Clarivate, Prof Meng focuses on materials such as sodium and sulphur – less expensive, more abundant and less environmentally damaging to harvest than lithium.

At NTU, Prof Meng leads the University’s efforts in forging partnerships with leading global companies and institutions, and in establishing joint research institutes worldwide. She is also the co-director of the University of Chicago’s Energy Transition Network, which helps build powerful connections between academia and industry.

“I want to make sure scientific breakthroughs don’t stay in the lab but are out creating positive impact in real-world products and devices,” she said.