Research

Yi Cui, professor in Stanford's Materials Science & Engineering department and professor of photon science at the SLAC National Accelerator Lab will be the next director of Stanford's Precourt Institute for Energy starting January 1. Cui, one of the world's most cited scientists, showed in 2008 that silicon nanowires can significantly boost the performance of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. His lab also researches other means of storing electricity, solar power technologies, energy-efficient clothing among other nanoengineered applications.

Simona Onori, assistant professor in energy resources engineering was recognized for her work on sustainable transportation and automotive energy systems by the Clean Energy Education & Empowerment Initiative (C3E). As director of the Stanford Energy Control Lab, Onori conducts pioneering research on transportation and grid-scale energy storage systems

In a paper published in The Journal of Mechanical Design, researchers examined how altering peoples' moods influenced their trust of autonomous products such as smart speakers. “An important takeaway from this research is that negative emotions are not always bad for forming trust. We want to keep this in mind because trust is not always good,” said Ting Liao, lead author of the paper and Prof. Erin MacDonald in Mechanical Engineering.

Stanford researchers from the Stanford Center for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) and Virginia Tech researchers have developed a novel way for robots to plot out the next moves of other autonomous entities using a concept called "latent intent" or "LILI"-Learning and Influencing Latent Intent. LILI focuses on a much smaller and simpler set of strategies, allowing the robot to learn which move will come next and then anticipate how its own behavior will affect the other's strategy -- actively influencing the other agent in a process of give-and-take co-adaptation.

Stanford researchers are studying how the COVID pandemic has affected robot deployment as part of a multi-year research program of AI-powered robot adoption. In general, companies have been adding "plug-and-play" systems such as automated guided vehicles rather than massive automation systems. Integration of the large robotic systems plus cost, leads to a productivity 'J-curve' where impacts can take many years. Instead, COVID is accelerating demand for "plug-and-play" automation that is smaller, simpler and easier to move around.

A new paper by Stanford Graduate School of Business and Georgia Tech, addresses the question of whether it is better to let the Unilevers and Walmarts of the world report voluntarily on their own suppliers' social and environmental impacts or should they be compelled to by law or other mandates. Using a Bayes model to track the dynamics and variations of supply chain transparency, the researchers try to determine whether mandatory or voluntary disclosure is more effective in reducing suppliers' impacts.

Stanford Law Professor Deborah Sivas, director of both Stanford's Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy Program and its Environmental Law Clinic, answers questions on the Trump's administration's rollback of former president Obama's climate policies and steps the incoming Biden team will most likely take. These include California's vehicle emission standards, rejoining the Paris Climate, oil and gas leases in Alaska's Artic National Wildlife Refuge and Biden's clean energy plan.

Capturing and storing carbon dioxide can significantly help California meet it's aggressive goal to be carbon neutral by 2045.

Scientists at Stanford and the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Lab have reengineered the collector, one of the heaviest battery components, so they weigh 80% less and immediately quench any fires that flare up. Using polymers in place of the sheets of copper or aluminum foil made the collector lighter, and increased the energy density of lithium-ion batteries by 16-26%. Reducing battery weight and flammability could also have a big impact on recycling by making the transportation of recycled batteries less expensive.

An internal Blueprint Advisory Committee assigned by Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne is working alongside an external task force to design the new climate and sustainability school announced last May. “This school will provide a home for Stanford students, staff and faculty dedicated to better understanding our planet and the threats it faces, and who are passionate about finding solutions, whether in the form of new technologies or by influencing our own behaviors,” said Kathryn Moler, (seen here on left) who is also a professor of applied physics and of physics.