Y. Shirley Meng
Professor, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago
2022 C3E Technology Research & Innovation Award Winner
Y. Shirley Meng is a Professor at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and the Chief Scientist for the Argonne Collaborative Center for Energy Storage Science (ACCESS) at Argonne National Laboratory. She is also the Principal Investigator of the Laboratory for Energy Storage and Conversion (LESC) at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). Her pioneering work focuses on materials for energy storage, using a singular combination of materials discovery and design guided by first principles computation, and advanced characterization with electron, neutron, and photon sources. Meng’s research focuses primarily on energy storage materials and systems—including rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles and trucks, power sources for Internet of Things (IOTs), as well as grid-scale storage.
Meng’s accomplishments include proving the importance of protecting cathode particles’ surfaces and controlling the dynamic structural changes in complex transition metal oxides during battery operation. Her work on the cryogenic microscopic imaging method in the battery field received international acclaim. Meng also led the successful development of liquified gas electrolyte (LiGas™), a remarkable invention extending battery operating temperatures toward -112 degrees Fahrenheit. Prior to joining the University of Chicago, Meng was the Zable Endowed Chair Professor in Energy Technologies at UCSD, where she founded the Sustainable Power & Energy Center and served as the Inaugural Director of the Institute for Materials Discovery and Design. Before her tenure at UCSD, she was a postdoctoral research fellow, then a research scientist, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Meng is the lead author or co-author of more than 275 peer-reviewed journal articles and 11 patents (5 issued and 6 pending). She has received several prestigious awards: the Faraday Medal of the Royal Chemistry Society (2020), the International Battery Association (IBA) Research Award (2019), the C.W. Tobias Young Investigator Award of the Electrochemical Society (2016), the BASF–Volkswagen Science Award Electrochemistry (2014), and the National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2011). She was also a finalist of the 2018–2019 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists. In addition, she is the elected Fellow of The Electrochemical Society, elected Fellow of the Materials Research Society, and Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She serves as Editor-in-Chief for the Materials Research Society’s MRS Energy & Sustainability journal.
Meng received her PhD in Advanced Materials for Micro & Nano Systems from the Singapore–MIT Alliance for Research and Technology and her Bachelor’s degree from Nanyang Technological University.
+ Learn More About Y. Shirley Meng's Clean Energy Journey
Batteries are necessary for nearly all mechanical devices and technologies across society. From cell phones and electric vehicles to large scale storage for intermittent power sources such as solar and wind operations, batteries are a critical component to a clean energy future. Battery research rooted in robust science is necessary to ensure investments and innovations are safe, reliable, and replicable.
When Dr. Shirley Meng began her academic career, she started in a purely theoretical lab. She wanted to test the novel approaches for designing better battery materials by leveraging the power of quantum mechanics and supercomputers. Her understanding of theory was critical to identifying the boundaries, materials limits, and novel approaches to enable better battery technologies. “When people get sick, they go to see doctors, get exams, and get prescriptions for medications,” Meng said. “Like people, sometimes the health of batteries fails quicker than expected, and it is up to the scientists to identify ways to improve their performance and health.”
After attaining her PhD at Singapore MIT Alliance, Meng established her independent research group at the University of California, San Diego. Like any junior faculty member, she was driven by the tenure rubric of “publish or perish,” pushing students to work hard, focus on her research goals, and conform to her style. Over time, Meng came to realize that growth of students is the real measure of success. By encouraging them to find their own style and research focus, she is helping to build the next generation of diverse battery scientists who will push the field forward in unexpected ways.
Meng’s commitment to flexibility, work/life balance, and patience means students and lab members are happier and more productive. The only guiding principle that continues to inform the focus and work in her lab is, “Nothing is impossible. Impossible only takes longer to achieve.”