G.R.I.D. (Global Researchers in Dialogue)

KIAT US Office 에서 지원하는 글로벌 연구자들과의 대화 시리즈 입니다. 한-미 산학연 간의 네트워크를 구축하고, 공동 R&D를 희망하시는 분들의 많은 참여를 부탁드립니다.  

This is a series of Dialogue supported by the KIAT US Office with global researchers. We invite everyone interested in building networks between Korean and U.S. academia, industry, and research institutes, as well as those seeking joint R&D opportunities, to actively participate.

Innovations in the Water–Energy Nexus: Materials, Processes, and Sustainability

2050년까지 전 세계 에너지와 물 수요가 급격히 증가할 것으로 예상됨에 따라, 혁신적이고 지속가능한 해결책이 요구되고 있습니다. 본 웨비나는 복잡한 물-에너지 시스템을 재설계하기 위한 첨단 소재와 공정공학 접근법을 소개합니다.

주요 내용으로는 탈탄소화를 위한 열에너지 저장 기술과 차세대 담수화 기술이 포함되며, 데이터센터 등 인프라에서 에너지와 물 사용을 줄이기 위한 다중 스케일 열관리 기술도 함께 다룹니다.

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Webinar

 Tuesday, April 16, 20:00 (EST)  

 2026년 4월 17일, 금요일, 오전 9:00 (한국) 

Dr. Akanksha Menon

Webinar Abstract

The global demand for energy and water is projected to increase by 40% and 55%, respectively, by 2050. Meeting these targets in an efficient, sustainable, and affordable manner necessitates significant scientific and technological advances. One of the challenges with water-energy systems is their inherent complexity owing to interactions that span multiple length- and timescales. However, the shift towards renewable energy and nontraditional water sources presents an opportunity to redesign these legacy systems by leveraging functional materials (phase transitions) and process engineering (component design and operation). This talk will highlight our work on decarbonizing heat across different temperatures using thermal energy storage (clean energy) and decarbonizing water treatment using novel desalination technologies (clean water). The first part of the talk will discuss thermal batteries based on reversible solid-gas thermochemical reactions in salt hydrates and metal oxides/carbonates with a high storage capacity for use in buildings, industrial process heat, and grid-scale energy storage (long duration). The second part of this talk will discuss desalination and brine concentration technologies based on thermal distillation, thermally responsive ionic liquids, and variable pressure reverse osmosis. The final part of this talk will focus on thermal management (cooling technologies) in data centers across length scales from the chip to rack to facility-level, with the goal of reducing energy and water use.

Speaker

Dr. Akanksha Menon is an Assistant Professor in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech. Her research focuses on sustainable water and energy systems, integrating thermal engineering and materials approaches. She leads the Water-Energy Research Lab and holds affiliations and active collaborations with leading national laboratories in the United States.