Robert F. Savinell

Robert F. Savinell is a Distinguished University Professor and George S. Dively Professor of Engineering at Case Western Reserve University's Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. He has held leadership roles including Director of the Ernest B. Yeager Center for Electrochemical Sciences (10 years) and Dean of Engineering (7 years). His research focuses on electrochemical solutions for energy conversion/storage, with emphases on flow batteries, electrochemical capacitors, and advanced materials. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the Electrochemical Society and holds fellowships from the Electrochemical Society, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and International Society of Electrochemistry.

Education: BS in Chemical Engineering (Cleveland State University, 1974), MS (University of Pittsburgh, 1974), PhD (University of Pittsburgh, 1977).

Research Highlights: Current projects include novel electrode structures for hybrid flow batteries, slurry electrode conductivity, and high-temperature polymer electrolytes. Over 40 years of R&D in electrochemical engineering have produced breakthroughs in energy storage systems.

Awards: 2022 Vittorio De Nora Award (Electrochemical Society), 2020 Frank and Dorothy Humel Prize (CWRU), 2018 DOE EFRC grant (BEES program).

Grants/Advising: Directs the Breakthrough Electrolytes for Energy Storage (BEES) EFRC. Advises on projects spanning fundamental electrochemistry to commercial applications. Active in cross-institutional collaborations.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Yeager Center for Electrochemical Sciences and collaborates with MIT, Denmark Technical University, and Yamanashi University through visiting professorships.