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NAE honors Berkeley scientist Nitish Balsara
Balsara was recognized for his pioneering research on the relationship between mechanical and electrical properties in block copolymer electrolytes.
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Rwittika Chakraborty
- Thu, 05, Mar 2026
- 02:20 EST
- 20
Indian-origin scientist Nitash P. Balsara, the Charles W. Tobias Professor in Electrochemistry at the University of California, Berkeley / UC Berkeley
The National Academy of Engineering has named Indian-origin scientist Nitash P. Balsara, the Charles W. Tobias Professor in Electrochemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), to this year’s class of 130 new members and 28 international members.
Academy membership honors those who have made excellent contributions in engineering practice, research, or education, and in pioneering new and developing fields of technology, major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing innovative approaches to engineering education.
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Balsara, an expert in polymer science, was recognized for his pioneering research on the relationship between mechanical and electrical properties in block copolymer electrolytes, materials that are crucial for developing safer and more efficient rechargeable batteries.
His work focuses on designing advanced polymer electrolytes that improve the performance and safety of lithium-ion batteries used in devices ranging from smartphones to electric vehicles.
The faculty senior scientist in the Materials Science Division and professor of chemical engineering at UC Berkeley joined Berkeley Lab in 2000 and is a fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) and the Neutron Scattering Society of America.
Balsara did his B.Tech in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in 1982, followed by obtaining his master's degree from Clarkson University in 1984, and his PhD. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in 1998.
He did post-doctoral research at the University of Minnesota and at Exxon Research and Engineering Company in Annandale, New Jersey. In 1992, he joined Polytechnic University in Brooklyn as an assistant professor of Chemical Engineering.
Along with his academic work, Balsara has helped translate research into real-world applications by co-founding battery start-ups aimed at commercializing safer energy storage technologies.
His contributions have earned several honors, including the American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ Charles M.A. Stine Award and the American Physical Society’s Polymer Physics Prize.
He is also the recipient of the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur Distinguished Alumnus Award 2019.
Balsara was elected alongside fellow Berkeley Lab scientist Jennifer Doudna, a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist recognized for her work on CRISPR gene-editing technology.
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