Babu Chalamala, an engineer and manager of Sandia National Laboratories’ energy storage group, was recently elected fellow of two prestigious national societies. On Jan. 26, he became a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. On Dec. 7, he became a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.
According to AAAS, Chalamala was selected to be a fellow “for technical contributions and leadership in grid energy storage technology, his research contributions to electronic materials and devices and committed service to the global science and engineering community.”
Energy storage systems are important for capturing renewable energy when it is produced and saving it for when it is needed. Energy storage systems, including lithium-ion battery storage, can increase the stability, reliability and resiliency of the power grid.
“I believe that I’ve had an impact in grid storage as a thought leader, providing the vision for where we need to go in R&D, engineering and what are the big things we need to focus on as we consider the future of the electric grid,” Chalamala said. “Being elected fellow of these two societies means I’ve made enough of an impact over my career to be recognized by my peers.”
AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals. Since 1874, AAAS Fellows have been a distinguished group of scientists, engineers and innovators who have been recognized for their achievements across disciplines ranging from research, teaching and technology; administration in academia, industry, and government; and excellence in communicating and interpreting science to the public.