Dr. Perla Balbuena, GPSA Professor in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been elected fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).
Fellow is AIChE’s highest grade of membership and is awarded to members in recognition of significant professional accomplishments and contributions in engineering. The fellow grade of membership was established in 1969 and is limited to 5% of the total membership of AIChE.
Balbuena’s research focuses on first-principles materials analysis and design. Using predictions of physical and chemical properties of materials via atomic-level simulations, her research contributes to an improved understanding and better design of power sources such as lithium-ion and lithium-sulfur batteries, and fuel cells, as well as to the development of new materials for catalytic processes. Her interests include reactions on nanomaterials, surfaces and interfaces with applications to catalysis and energy storage.
The election to AIChE Fellow is just the latest in a long string of successes for Balbuena. In 2014, Balbuena was awarded a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant through the EV Everywhere Grand Challenge to research design improvements and optimization of lithium-sulfur batteries in their application as plug-in electric vehicles. In 2016, a team led by Balbuena was selected for another DOE grant, totaling $1.2 million, to study and model battery reactions. In 2017, Balbuena and Dr. Jorge Seminario, holder of the Lanatter & Herbert Fox Professorship in the chemical engineering department, were awarded yet another DOE grant to study the development of advanced solid electrolyte technology for lithium-sulfur batteries, and in 2019 a new DOE grant was awarded for further studies of advanced battery technologies. Balbuena and Seminario were awarded a 2020 Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station Research Impact Award for this same research.
Balbuena holds a doctoral degree from The University of Texas at Austin, is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is a TEES Senior Faculty Fellow.