Nitash P. Balsara

Nitash P. Balsara is the Charles W. Tobias Professor in Electrochemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Faculty Associate Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). He holds a Ph.D. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1988) and has received numerous awards including the National Science Foundation Young Investigator Award and the Charles M.A. Stine Award.

His research focuses on polymer electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries, emphasizing materials design, synthesis, and characterization. He employs advanced methods like synchrotron hard X-ray microtomography and atomic-scale cryogenic electron microscopy to study ion transport mechanisms.

Scientific awards and honors include:

• National Science Foundation Young Investigator Award (1994)
• Sigma Xi Distinguished Faculty Research Award (1995)
• 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award (1996)
• Engineer of the Year, American Institute of Engineers of Indian Origin (1997)
• John H. Dillon Medal, American Physical Society (1997)
• Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award (1998)
• Hendrick C. Van Ness Lectureship (1998)
• Fellow of the American Physical Society (2000)
• Charles M.A. Stine Award (2005)

The Balsara Lab (D52, D72, D80 & D84 Tan) fosters a collaborative, inclusive environment committed to diversity, anti-racism, and accessibility in science. Alumni from the lab co-founded battery startups Seeo (2007) and Blue Current (2014).