Rohini Bala Chandran, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, has been awarded the 2023 ASME Bergles-Rohsenow Young Investigator Award in Heat Transfer “for outstanding early-career contributions to the application of radiative heat transfer science to solar thermal and thermochemical technologies.” This recognition is given to a young engineer who has “demonstrated the potential to make significant contributions to the field of heat transfer.”
Although Dr. Bala Chandran is still in the early stages of her career, she has already been the recipient of several large awards, like a 2022 NSF Career Award, and has received major backing from such entities as the U.S. Department of Energy. Her research aspires to address the defining dual challenges of the 21st century. Those are to provide access to affordable and secure energy resources and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by advancing the understanding of transport and kinetic processes for solar fuel generators, thermal energy storage, and water treatment devices.
In response to her award win, Dr. Bala Chandran said, “I am thrilled to receive the 2023 ASME Bergles-Rohsenow Young Investigator Award for Heat Transfer. I sincerely thank my nominator, mentors, and letter writers for inspiring and supporting me in countless ways. It’s truly exciting to see the significant real-world impacts that stem from heat-transfer research, to especially address global energy and climate challenges. I hope to enable, encourage, and elevate the next generation of researchers and engineers to achieve even greater outcomes.”
Formal presentation of the award will take place at the Heat Transfer Luncheon during the 2023 ASME
International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMECE), October 29 – November 3, 2023, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
