Nianqiang “Nick” Wu
, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at West Virginia University, has been named a Fellow of the Electrochemical Society. The distinction, granted to no more than 15 people annually, was established in 1989 to recognize advanced individual technological contributions in electrochemical and solid-state science and technology.
Wu is the first from WVU to be granted this distinction.
“I feel humbled and honored to be selected as a Fellow of the Electrochemical Society after having been named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry earlier this year,” said Wu. “My independent academic career started and grew at WVU. This prestigious honor reflects the collective efforts of our research team, our talented students and our postdoctoral fellows as well as the research environment fostered at the University.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the University, the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources and the Department for their long-term support of my research and educational programs.”
Wu, a materials scientist, conducts research in photocatalysts and photoelectrochemical cells for solar energy harvesting, batteries and supercapacitors for energy storage, chemical sensors and biosensors for healthcare and environment monitoring. His research is funded by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Energy.
He received his Ph.D. degree in materials science and engineering from Zhejiang University, China, in 1997. He was a postdoctoral research fellow at University of Pittsburgh from 1999 to 2001 and later directed the Keck Surface Science Center at Northwestern University from 2001-2005. He joined WVU as an assistant professor in 2005 and was promoted to associate professor and professor in 2010 and 2014, respectively. He has published one book and more than 160 journal papers. His papers were cited more than 2,400 times in 2016, achieving a total citation of more than 13,300 throughout his career.
Founded in 1902, the Electrochemical Society is the world’s largest professional society for electrochemical science and applications. The membership is composed of more than 8,000 scientists and engineers in 70-plus countries worldwide who hold individual membership, as well as roughly 100 corporations and laboratories that hold corporate membership. Its mission is to advance theory and practice at the forefront of electrochemical and solid state science and technology, and allied subjects.
Wu is actively involved in ECS, having served as treasurer, secretary, vice chair and currently as chair of the ECS Sensor Division. He also serves on the advisory board of ECS’s member magazine, Interface.