Y. Shirley Meng

Dr. Y. Shirley Meng is the Zable Chair Professor in Energy Technologies and a Professor in the Department of NanoEngineering at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), within the Jacobs School of Engineering. She is the Principal Investigator of the Laboratory for Energy Storage and Conversion (LESC) and the founding Director of the Sustainable Power and Energy Center (SPEC).

Research Interests:

• Lithium-ion, Sodium-ion, and Solid-State Batteries
• Flow Batteries and Zinc-Air Fuel Cells
• Magnesium-ion Batteries and Magnetic Materials
• Sensitized Solar Cells and Nanomaterials for Energy
• Integration of experimental techniques with first-principles computation for materials design

Her recent research, reflected in publications from 2023 to 2015, consistently focuses on next-generation battery technologies, particularly addressing interfacial challenges, electrolyte design, cathode engineering, and degradation mechanisms in solid-state and lithium-metal batteries. Key themes include cobalt-free cathodes, liquefied gas electrolytes, cryogenic electron microscopy, and scalable manufacturing of sulfide-based solid electrolytes.

Scientific Awards and Recognition:

• International Battery Association Research Award (2019)
• Blavatnik National Awards Finalist (2018)
• ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces Young Investigator Award (2018)
• ICESI Inaugural Young Career Award (2018)
• IUMRS-Singapore Young Scientist Award (2017)
• C.W. Tobias Young Investigator Award (2016)
• BASF Volkswagen Electrochemistry Science Award (2015)
• NSF CAREER Award (2011)
• U.S. C3E Initiative Innovation Award
• Elected Fellow of the Electrochemical Society

Dr. Meng actively mentors a research group including postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and visiting scholars. Her team has secured significant research support, leading to over 190 peer-reviewed articles and multiple patents. She also contributes to the field as Editor-in-Chief of MRS Energy & Sustainability.

Laboratories and Research Centers:

• LESC (Laboratory for Energy Storage and Conversion): Focuses on designing nano-materials for energy storage and conversion via integrated experimental-computational approaches.
• SPEC (Sustainable Power and Energy Center): An interdisciplinary center she founded, aiming for breakthroughs in distributed energy generation, storage, and integration systems.