Energy Technologies Initiative (ETI) Scholar and Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering Assistant Professor Chibueze Amanchukwu was among one of 126 early-career researchers from leading institutions across the United States and Canada—including eight from the University of Chicago—to be named a 2026 Sloan Research Fellow. Awarded annually by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Sloan Research Fellowship recognizes outstanding early-career researchers whose work demonstrates exceptional creativity and promise. Fellows receive a two-year, $75,000 grant that can be used flexibly to advance their research programs.
Amanchukwu’s research works to address a critical challenge in the clean energy transition: how electrolytes—the substances that allow electrical charge to flow in batteries—control chemical reactions during energy storage and conversion. His lab has pioneered a novel “carbon and salt” battery that is earth abundant, safer and can be cheaper than current lithium-ion batteries. His team has also created machine learning models that can predict electrolyte performance and generate new electrolyte formulations for next-generation batteries.
“I love working at the intersection of different fields,” Amanchukwu says as his group has also taken longstanding electrolyte design strategies from batteries to address challenges such as PFAS (per-and-poly fluoroalkyl substances) degradation and efficient electrochemical carbon dioxide capture and conversion
With the Sloan Fellowship, he plans to focus on understanding the electrode/electrolyte interface by developing sensing technologies that are stable and yield high resolution. Developing sensors for batteries could give researchers new insight into what happens during charging and discharging.
“Developing sensors for electrochemistry will be transformational as it will enable unprecedented access to chemical phenomena, shed light into reaction pathways, and guide novel material design,” says Amanchukwu.
Amanchukwu, who also holds a joint appointment at Argonne National Laboratory, received his PhD in chemical engineering from MIT and has held postdoctoral fellowships at Stanford University and the University of Cambridge. His work has earned him recognition as one of MIT Technology Review’s “Innovators Under 35” (2024) and Chemical & Engineering News’ “Talented 12.” He has also received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, a U.S. Department of Energy Early Career Research Program award, an Army Research Office Early Career Award, and a Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award.