Dr. Amit Goyal Elected to the National Academy of Engineering
February 21, 2018
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I am very pleased to announce that Dr. Amit Goyal, Director of RENEW (Research and Education in eNergy, Environment & Water) and Professor of Empire Innovation at University at Buffalo in the Departments of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics & the Department of Materials Design and Innovation, was recently elected to the National Academy of Engineering. This is a very prestigious honor. Members are elected based on their outstanding contributions to "engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature" and to "the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education." Dr. Goyal was cited for materials science advances and contributions enabling commercialization of high-temperature superconducting materials.
Dr. Goyal has a long and impressive history of innovation that has significant implications for the advancement of grid technologies. For a number of years, he was a high temperature superconductivity (HTS) researcher at Oak Ridge National Laboratory where he was a corporate fellow and distinguished scientist cited for pioneering research in the field of high-temperature superconductors, including fundamental materials science advances and technical innovations that enable commercialization. With the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability’s (OE) support, Dr. Goyal was the lead inventor of the Rolling Assisted Bi-Axially Textured Substrate technology (RABiTS) that is used as a substrate for second generation HTS wires. His inventions led to the development of a large patent portfolio which was licensed to AMSC Inc. Dr. Goyal is also a co-inventor on a crucial buffer technology that is necessary for use with IBAD MgO substrate technology and this was technology licensed to SuperPower Inc. OE support also led to the invention of “round” Structural Single Crystal Faceted Fiber Substrate (SSIFFS) for low-ac loss applications. In addition, OE support led to the invention of Self Assembly of Vertical Nanocolumns of non-superconducting material within superconducting wires to achieve very high flux-pinning, crucial for applications in high-applied magnetic fields. All second generation wires being manufactured today use one or more of these technologies to fabricate high-performance superconducting wires. These inventions and associated R&D resulted in numerous awards, including the 2010 R&D Magazine's Innovator of the Year Award, 3 Federal Laboratory Consortium Excellence in Technology Transfer National Awards, and a DOE Energy100 Award. In 2011, Dr. Goyal was named a winner of the Department of Energy's Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award honoring U.S. scientists and engineers for exceptional contributions in research and development supporting DOE and its mission. For the E.O. Lawrence award, he was cited for his work in "pioneering research and transformative contributions to the field of applied high temperature superconductivity, including fundamental materials science advances and technical innovations enabling large-scale applications of these novel materials."
As we have seen time and again, innovative R&D can have far-reaching implications for society. University of Buffalo President Satish K. Tripathi captured that idea eloquently in announcing Dr. Goyal’s election, saying “This honor is an inspiration to all who seek to push the boundaries of their respective fields to improve the well-being of humanity.”
Congratulations, Dr. Goyal!
Patricia A. Hoffman
Acting Assistant Secretary, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Electricity
Former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Electricity (OE) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Ms. Patricia A. Hoffman also served as Acting Under Secretary for Science and Energy from January 2017 until November 2017 when the U.S. Senate confirmed Mark Menezes as Under Secretary of Energy. Ms. Hoffman served as Acting Assistant Secretary for OE from January 2017 until October 2017 when the OE Assistant Secretary was confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Ms. Hoffman was named Assistant Secretary for OE from June 2010 to January 2017, after serving as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary since November 2007. The focus of her responsibility was to provide leadership on a national level to modernize the electric grid, enhance the security and reliability of the energy infrastructure and facilitate recovery from disruptions to the energy supply both domestically and internationally. This is critical to meeting the Nation’s growing demand for reliable electricity by overcoming the challenges of our Nation’s aging electricity transmission and distribution system and addressing the vulnerabilities in our energy supply chain.
Prior to her this position, Ms. Hoffman served in a dual capacity as Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for Research and Development (R&D) and Chief Operating Officer (COO) within OE. During her tenure as the DAS for R&D, she developed the long-term research strategy and improved the management portfolio of research programs for modernizing and improving the resiliency of the electric grid. This included developing and implementing sensors and operational tools for wide-area monitoring, energy storage research and demonstration, and the development of advanced conductors to increase the capacity and flexibility of the grid. She also initiated a new research effort focused on integrating and distributing renewable energy through the electric grid, such as promoting plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and implementing smart grid technologies to maintain system reliability. As COO, she managed the OE business operations, including human resources, budget development, financial execution, and performance management.
Prior to joining OE, she was the Program Manager for the Federal Energy Management Program within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at DOE. This program guides the Federal government to “lead by example” promoting energy efficiency, renewable energy, and smart energy management. Complementing her building energy efficiency experience, she also was the Program Manager for the Distributed Energy Program, which conducted research on advanced natural gas power generation and combined heat and power systems. Her accomplishments included the successful completion of the Advanced Turbine System program resulting in a high-efficiency industrial gas turbine power generation product.
Ms. Hoffman holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Ceramic Science and Engineering from Pennsylvania State University.