Todd Deutsch

Todd Deutsch is a Researcher at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the Chemistry and Nanoscience department. He specializes in photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting, focusing on III-V semiconductor materials and corrosion remediation strategies. Deutsch joined NREL in 2006 as a postdoctoral scholar and became a staff scientist in 2008. His work aims to generate hydrogen fuel from sunlight efficiently.

Education:

• Bachelor of Science in Chemistry (cum laude), Humboldt State University
• Master of Science in Chemistry, University of Colorado Boulder
• PhD in Analytical Chemistry, University of Colorado Boulder

Research Interests: Solar energy conversion via PEC water splitting, III-V semiconductor interfaces, corrosion protection for photoelectrodes, and benchmarking solar-to-hydrogen efficiency. His recent efforts emphasize inverted metamorphic multijunction semiconductors and scalable PEC systems.

Publications: Over 90 peer-reviewed articles and technical reports, spanning topics like bipolar membrane development, electrocatalyst integration, and hybrid energy systems. Recent work highlights advancements in low-cost perovskite tandem photoelectrodes and electrochemical CO₂ capture models.

Awards:

• U.S. Department of Energy Merit Award (2014)
• U.S. Department of Energy Team Merit Award (2017)
• Outstanding Mentor (9 times for advising SULI program students)

Advising & Grants: Mentor to over 30 students through NREL’s SULI program. Collaborates on projects funded by DOE, including the HydroGEN Alliance. Active in developing incubator programs like the NX Fuels H2 Shot project.

Labs/Teams: Leads research in NREL’s HydroGEN Photoreactor Platform and collaborates on bipolar membrane innovations for fuel cells and electrolyzers.