E. V. Murphree Award In Industrial & Engineering Chemistry: Michael Thackeray

Sponsor: ExxonMobil Research & Engineering Co.

Citation: For life-long contributions to the scientific research, discovery, and technological development of lithium battery electrode materials.

Current position: Distinguished Fellow and senior scientist, Chemical Sciences & Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory

Education: B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D., chemistry, University of Cape Town, South Africa

Thackeray on what gets his creative juices flowing: “I am motivated by doing useful, creative science and driving technologies forward, particularly for the benefit of humanity. As a young scientist, during the first international oil crisis in the mid-1970s, when the price of oil and gasoline quadrupled, I was made aware of the need for advanced battery technologies to power electric vehicles to lessen the world’s dependence on fossil fuels. Today, the societal and economic urgency to find advanced batteries is even greater to help enable the reduction of CO₂ emissions and global warming.”

What his colleagues say:“The adoption of Thackeray’s discoveries and innovations in battery materials have begun to impact society significantly. Not only are his lithium ion materials having a direct impact on the adoption of electric vehicles across the globe, but they are also impacting our ability to communicate with one another through use in personal portable electronics. They will ultimately help enable the adoption of wind and solar generation of electricity.”—Jeffrey P. Chamberlain, Argonne National ­Laboratory