Deyang Qu, an internationally recognized energy-storage and renewable energy expert, was named a UWM Distinguished Professor in May. Qu is a Johnson Controls Endowed Professorship in Energy Storage Research and is chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering in UWM’s College of Engineering & Applied Science.
At the pinnacle of their careers, UWM Distinguished Professors have had significant impact on their fields of study. With remarkable productivity, international reputations, and glowing testimonials from peers, they continue to make significant scholarly contributions to their disciplines.
Qu has made extraordinary contributions to the electrochemistry and electrochemical engineering of next-generation batteries, including long-lasting lithium-ion, Li-Air and Li-sulfur batteries and capacitators such as those used in electric vehicles.
In layman’s terms, he explains that he applies his knowledge of chemistry and technology to advance electrification, which in turn burns less fossil fuel.
“If I can contribute to new battery technology by helping to create a battery that lasts significantly longer, that would be like hitting a home run,” he said. “Doing research that plays a part in turning around global warming became my passion.”
$10.4 million in funded research aimed at developing next-generation batteries
Since Qu joined UWM in 2015, his cutting-edge research has attracted nearly $10.4 million of grants from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy and Johnson Controls (now Clarios) and other industries including MilliporeSigma.
His research helped develop batteries that supported the then-emerging start-stop technology, which reduces vehicle fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by about 5 percent.
Supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Qu has been engaging in the fundamental research of next-generation batteries for decades. Most recently, the department—through a subcontract from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory—awarded him a five-year, $650,000 grant to continue his successful three-year, $1.25 million contract to research solid-state Li batteries.
In 2020, Qu was listed in a ranking of the top 2% of scientists in the world in a study by Stanford University, which identified top scholars by considering how often their work has been cited over the course of their careers.
Qu is one of two active faculty members from the College of Engineering & Applied Science who have been named UWM Distinguished Professors; he is joined by Materials Science Professor Pradeep Rohatgi, whose research has had a profounds impact on cast metal matric composites.