Nikhil Koratkar, Ph.D., the John A. Clark and Edward T. Crossan Professor of Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), has been named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), one of the highest professional distinctions awarded by the world’s oldest chemical society.

Fellowship of the RSC is awarded to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field through patents, scientific publications, or discoveries. Koratkar was recognized for his “distinguished contributions to materials chemistry and electrochemistry, leading to improved materials for sustainable energy storage.”  

Koratkar initially studied materials science at RPI, but shifted to electrochemistry and battery storage around 2010 to concentrate on real-world impact. “That was the engineer in me,” Koratkar said. “I wanted to do something practical — to take the material science I was doing and apply it to real-world challenges. Batteries were the perfect blend.”

Today, his research continues to blend science and engineering — in the spirit of RPI’s interdisciplinary model — through the discovery and investigation of novel materials with superior properties. He is studying the fundamental mechanical, electrical, thermal, optical, chemical, and electrochemical properties of these materials and developing a variety of composites, coatings, and energy storage device applications, all designed for performance, safety, and sustainability.  

“Nikhil has a remarkable ability to evolve his research in ways that remain both scientifically rigorous and practically relevant and impactful,” said Shekhar Garde, Ph.D., the Thomas R. Farino Jr. ’67 and Patricia E. Farino Dean of the School of Engineering. “His work seamlessly combines fundamental insights with the creative synthesis of advanced materials to drive innovation, entrepreneurship, and education in energy storage.”

Koratkar’s research has produced more than 250 journal publications, including over a dozen papers in Nature, Science, Nature Materials, Nature Reviews Materials, Nature Communications, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Koratkar is also a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). His awards include the ASME Gustus L. Larson Memorial Award, the Electrochemical Society’s SES Young Investigator Award, the National Science Foundation’s Career Award, and more.

In addition to his academic contributions, Koratkar has translated his research into real-world innovation. He holds four battery patents and co-founded Alsym Energy, a startup developing a new class of non-flammable, non-toxic, low-cost, and sustainable batteries.    

But Koratkar says his greatest contribution lies in mentorship. During his time at RPI, Koratkar has mentored 32 Ph.D. students, many of whom now hold leadership roles in academia and industry. “After more than 20 years in this field, I’ve come to realize that the most impactful work I’ve done isn’t found just in publications or patents — it’s in the people I’ve had the chance to teach, train, and support,” said Koratkar. “They are the ones driving innovation forward.”