Energy storage doctoral researcher wins prestigious graduate student award

Matthew Genovese receives top tier recognition from Electrochemical Society’s (ECS) Energy Technology Division

Genovese, Matthew

PhD candidate Matthew Genovese (Photo: Flexible Energy & Electronics Laboratory, U of T)

October 30, 2015

University of Toronto Materials Science & Engineering PhD candidate Matthew Genovese has received the 2015 Electrochemical Society Energy Technology Division’s 2015 graduate student award, a prestigious recognition granted to one to two individuals worldwide each year. The award recognizes his outstanding achievements in the field of energy technology and is intended to encourage recipients to initiate careers in this field.

Genovese, a student in Associate Professor Keryn Lian‘s Flexible Energy & Electronics Laboratory, received this award based on his thesis research on developing cost-effective materials to increase energy storage in electrochemical capacitors, or also known as supercapacitors.

Specifically, his research investigates the use of waste biomass derived carbon materials and inexpensive metal oxides for the fabrication of composite supercapacitor electrodes.  His work has demonstrated that his biomass substrates and custom metal oxide chemistries can be used along with simple fabrication techniques to create electrodes which optimize practicality and performance—a promising step toward commercially viable sustainable energy storage and delivery technologies.

“This work not only sets the bar for research in high-performance, cost-effective energy storage materials for electrochemical capacitors, but it also provides a potential solution for waste re-deployment from other industries,” said Professor Lian. “Congratulations to Matthew on this significant recognition from ECS and his contributions to our global energy and sustainability efforts.”