NATIONAL AWARD FOR CHEMISTRY IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST HONORS ADVANCES IN ENERGY STORAGE AND POWER GENERATION

HÈCTOR D. ABRUÑA IS BEING RECOGNIZED FOR HIS GROUNDBREAKING WORK IN THE UNDERSTANDING OF ELECTROCHEMICAL SURFACES REVOLUTIONIZING BATTERY AND FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGY.

Cambridge, MA — January 27, 2026 — Héctor D. Abruña, Émile M. Chamot Professor, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology; Director, Center for Alkaline Based Energy Solutions (CABES), Energy Materials Center at Cornell and Abruña Energy Initiative, Baker Laboratory, Cornell University is being presented with the Gustavus John Esselen Award for Chemistry in the Public Interest for his groundbreaking contributions to electroanalytical chemistry through the innovative integration of synthetic chemistry to create novel electrode materials with advanced spectroscopic methods to interrogate their behavior. His work has fundamentally transformed the understanding of electrochemical surfaces. The insights generated by these studies have led directly to significant advances in the performance and capacity of batteries and fuel cells. In parallel with his foundational research, Professor Abruña has translated scientific discovery into real-world impact, advancing technologies that will enable the next generation of electric vehicles and aircraft.

The Abruña Energy Initiative (AEI) offers firsthand experiences in clean transportation to residents and visitors to the Ithaca campus. Through this initiative Prof. Abruña and his team provide an opportunity to experience clean transportation as part of daily life. They are establishing clean fleets with battery electric vehicles as well as hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles incorporating materials developed in the lab and providing a comprehensive infrastructure system to recharge and refuel this fleet. This living laboratory approach offers the researchers and the Cornell community real world experiences in clean transportation. In addition, AEI is working with the island community of Vieques, east of Puerto Rico, to establish a hydrogen-enabled clean power micro grid. The island, decimated by Hurricane Maria in 2017, has been without operational healthcare facilities since that time. This project aims to offer a stable electricity resource for critical infrastructure and to facilitate the island’s recovery and preparedness against future disasters. The success of this project could have wide-raging impacts for small or isolated communities around the world and provide a blueprint for scalable models.

Abruña’s basic research is being successfully commercialized through the formation of several startup companies including Factorial Energy, Ecolectro and Conamix. These companies are pushing the envelope in their respective specialties focusing on significant and scalable improvements in sustainable energy production and delivery. As Director of the Center for Alkaline-Based Energy Solutions (CABES)—a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional research program, Abruña continues to advance scientific understanding of the fundamental factors governing electrochemical energy conversion in non-acidic media, exploring all aspects of the process and providing a forum for information sharing.

The Gustavus John Esselen Award for Chemistry in the Public Interest honors outstanding scientific achievement in scientific and technical work which contributes to the public well-being and has thereby communicated the positive values of the chemical profession. The award is presented annually by the Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society and has honored such publicly renowned chemists as F. Sherwood Rowland and Mario J. Molina (effect of chlorofluorocarbons on the ozone layer), Carl Djerassi (birth-control drugs), Kary Mullis (polymerase chain reaction), Jennifer A. Doudna (genome editing) and Carolyn Bertozzi (bioorthogonal chemistry). The Esselen Award is given to honor the memory of G. J. Esselen, past chair of the Northeastern Section and founder of the Esselen Research Corporation.

In recognition of his contributions, Prof Abruña will receive the Gustavus John Esselen Award for Chemistry in the Public Interest on Friday, April 17, 2026, in a ceremony at the Harvard University Faculty Club, Cambridge, MA at 8pm. Dr. Abruña’s award lecture, entitled “The Energy Landscape in the Age of Sustainability.” will follow the award presentation and is free and open to the public.