2024-2025 Seed Fund Recipients
![SteveNutt](https://ecet.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/SteveNutt-150x150.jpg)
Dr. Steve R. Nutt
M.C. Gill Chair in Composite Materials and professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
![JayLee-5-247×300](https://ecet.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/JayLee-5-247x300-1-150x150.jpg)
Dr. Jay H. Lee
Choong Hoon Cho Chair and Professor of Chemical and materials Science, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Industrial and Systems Engineering
![rajickalia](https://ecet.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/rajickalia.jpg)
Dr. Rajiv Kalia
Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Computer Science, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, and Biomedical Engineering
![Luis_Francisco_Villalobos_824x549](https://ecet.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Luis_Francisco_Villalobos_824x549-150x150.jpg)
Dr. Luis Francisco Villalobos
Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
![YanLiu_crop](https://ecet.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/YanLiu_crop-150x150.jpg)
Dr. Yan Liu
Professor, Computer Science Department
![jafarpour](https://ecet.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/jafarpour-1-150x150.jpg)
Dr. Behnam Jafarpour
N.I.O.C. Fellow and Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Civil and Environmental Engineering.
![Viterbi Faculty and Staff Portraits 2024 K Leslie Gilliard Abdul](https://ecet.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/AbdulAziz-150x150.jpeg)
Dr. Kandis Leslie Abdul-Aziz
WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Seed funding provided by E-CET (2023-2024):
![Fokion Egolfopoulos](https://ecet.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Fokion-Egolfopoulos.jpg)
Dr. Fokion Egolfopoulos
Transient Plasma-Enhanced Combustion of Hydrogen for Increased Efficiency and Reduced Emissions
![Stephen Burke Cronin](https://ecet.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Stephen-Burke-Cronin.jpg)
Dr. Stephen Cronin
Transient Plasma-Enhanced Combustion of Hydrogen for Increased Efficiency and Reduced Emissions
![Zhenglu Li](https://ecet.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Zhenglu-Li-150x150.jpeg)
Dr. Zhenglu Li
Renewable Energy Evolution: Managing Legacy Assets and Pioneering New Solutions for Optimal Efficiency and Sustainability with Computational Inspirations
![Aiichiro Nakano](https://ecet.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Aiichiro-Nakano-150x150.jpg)
Dr. Aiichiro Nakano
AI-Driven Design of Functional Materials for Hydrogen Production and Storage
![usc-chemistry-brent-melot-2](https://ecet.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/usc-chemistry-brent-melot-2-150x150.jpg)
Dr. Brent Melot
Transition Metal Phyllosilicates for the Gas Phase Hydrogenation of CO2 to Methanol
Seed funding provided by E-CET (2022-2023):
![Prasanna-USC_Fall_2011_large-xla0m9](https://ecet.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Prasanna-USC_Fall_2011_large-xla0m9-150x150.jpg)
Dr. Viktor Prasanna
Towards Real-Time Storage Integrated Operations of the Smart Grid
![pryiaV](https://ecet.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/pryiaV-150x150.jpg)
Dr. Priya Vashishta
Green Energy Learning from the Force of Nature
![kellysanders](https://ecet.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/kellysanders.jpg)
Dr. Kelly Sanders
Developing Quantitative Frameworks to Assess the Emissions Tradeoffs of Changes in demand in High Renewable Energy Power Grids
![bjha](https://ecet.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/bjha-1-150x150.jpg)
Dr. Birendra Jha
Modeling Carbon Storage in Petroleum Reservoirs and Aquifers
Seed funding provided by Chevron:
![thumbnail_Tsotsis Photo](https://ecet.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/thumbnail_Tsotsis-Photo-150x150.jpg)
Dr. Theo Tsotsis
Layer Double Hydroxide Inorganic Membranes: A Novel Enabling Material for Direct Air Capture (DAC) Reactive Separation Applications
![thumbnail_Jessen](https://ecet.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/thumbnail_Jessen-150x150.jpg)
Dr. Kristian Jessen and Dr. Theo Tsostsis
A Membrane Contactor Based Process for Fuel Alcohol Production for Distributed-Type Applications
![Shaama_resized](https://ecet.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Shaama_resized-150x150.jpg)
Dr. Shaama Sharada
In Silico Catalyst Design Rules for Efficient Gas-to-liquid Conversion
Faculty supported by Cy Pres
![Jayakanth Ravichandran](https://ecet.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Jayakanth-Ravichandran.png)
Dr. Jayakanth Ravichandran
Development of Abundant, Inexpensive Catalysts for Hydrogen Production
![Paulo Sergio Branicio](https://ecet.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Paulo-Sergio-Branicio.png)
Dr. Paulo Sergio Branicio
3d Bicontinuous Nano Porous Graphene Based CO2 Capture
![Young Cho](https://ecet.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Young-Cho-145x150.png)
Dr. Young Cho
Portable long-range wireless Internet for GHG Monitoring
![Bora Genturk](https://ecet.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Bora-Genturk.png)
Dr. Bora Genturk
Development of Near zero permeability cement composite for well-plugging applications