Generating Fuel from the Sun

Nesrin Ozalp, Ph.D., ASME Fellow - Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Exploring New Paths to Emission-Free Fuels

Dr. Nesrin Ozalp specializes in the area of designing novel solar reactors for emission-free generation of fuels. She has built an internationally recognized research program on solar cracking of natural gas for hydrogen production that has produced pioneering approaches and results in the field.

She is the Lead Principal Investigator of research projects totaling about $5 million; the corresponding author of 110+ peer-reviewed journal, book chapter, and conference papers; Co-PI of completed Phase I of Solar Carbon Black commercialization; and has supervised 25 graduate students’ theses.

The broad significance of her research is exemplified as the lead author of the article “Making Fuel While the Sun Shines” that appeared as featured article in the October 2014 issue of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ (ASME) Mechanical Engineering magazine. Dr. Ozalp also has given 35 invited/keynote talks on her research at institutes globally.

She is an associate editor of the ASME Journal of Thermal Science and Engineering Applications, associate editor of Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering, and the recipient of many research and teaching awards.