Sossina M. Haile

Short CV

Sossina M. Haile joined Northwestern University in 2015 as the Murphy Professor of Materials Science and Engineering after serving 18 years on the faculty at the California Institute of Technology. Prior to her appointment at Caltech, where she had risen to the rank of Braun Professor in Materials Science, Haile spent three years as an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington. She earned her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1992. In her final year of graduate education, Haile recieved a Fulbright Fellowship for study at the Max Planck Institute of Solid State Research in Stuttgart. She subsequently spent another year at the same institution as a Humboldt Post-Doctoral Fellow. Haile currently leads the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Frontier Research Center „Hydrogen in Energy and Information Sciences (HEISs),“ which brings together twelve principal investigators from across six institutions. She also serves on the editorial boards of Joule and MRS Energy and Sustainability and on the DOE Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Board.

Selected Awards

• 2024, Fellow, Electrochemical Society
• 2023, Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry
• 2022, Kavli Distinguished Lectureship, Plenary Session, Materials Research Society
• 2020, Turnbull Lecture Award, Materials Research Society
• 2019, Fellow, American Ceramics Society
• 2018, Fellow, Materials Research Society
• 2015, Fellow, African Academy of Science
• 2012, International Ceramics Prize (World Academy of Ceramics)
• 2010, Chemical Pioneer Award (American Institute of Chemists)
• 2008, American Competitiveness Initiative Fellowship (National Science Foundation)

Research Interests

Haile’s research broadly encompasses materials for sustainable electrochemical energy technologies. Her work in fuel cell science and technology has pushed the field to new insights and record performance metrics. In parallel, she has created new avenues for harnessing sunlight to meet rising energy demands and demonstrated viable solutions to the challenge of hydrogen delivery.

Selected Publications

• P. Žguns, K. Klyukin, G. Xiong, L. S. Wang, J. Li, S. M. Haile, and B. Yildiz, “Uncovering Fast Solid-Acid Proton Conductors Based on Dynamics of Polyanion Groups and Proton Bonding Strength” Energy & Env. Sci. 17, 5730-5742 (2024).
• L. S. Wang and S. M. Haile, “From Fundamental Interfacial Reaction Kinetics to Macroscopic Current-Voltage Characteristic: Case Study of Solid Acid Fuel Cell Limitations and Possibilities” Adv. Mat. Int. 2400119 16pp (2024).
• H. W. Chung, B. Cladek, Y.-Y. Hsiau, Y.-Y. Hu, K. Page, N. H. Perry, B. Yildiz, and S. M. Haile, “Hydrogen in Energy and Information Sciences,” MRS Bulletin 49, 435-450 (2024).
• C. Zhang, E. A. Goldfine, K. He, J. K. Wenderott, S. A. Pandey, R. dos Reis, J. Shen, C. Wolverton, M. J. Bedzyk, K. R. Poeppelmeier, V. P. Dravid, and S. M. Haile, “Elucidating the reaction pathway in the ammonolysis of MoO₃ via in situ powder X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy,” Chem. Mat. 36, 1123-1135 (2024).
• G. Xiong, L. S. Wang, and S. M. Haile, “Superprotonic conductivity in RbH_2-3y(PO₄)_1-y: a phosphate deficient analog to cubic CsH₂PO₄ in the (1-x)RbH₂PO₄ – xRb₂HPO₄ system,” Materials Horizons 10, 5555-5563 (2023).
• X. Xu, C. Carr, X. Chen, B. D. Myers, R. Huang, W. Yuan, S. Choi, D. Yi, C. Phatak, and S. M. Haile, “Local Multimodal Electro-Chemical-Structural Characterization of Ionic Solid-Electrolyte Grain Boundaries,” Adv. Energy Mater. 11 2003309 10pp (2021).
• D.-K. Lim, A. B. Plymill, H. Paik, X. Qian, S. Zecevic, C. R. I. Chisholm, and S.M. Haile, “A Solid Acid Electrochemical Cell for the Production of Hydrogen from Ammonia,” Joule 4 1-10 (2020).
• W. Yuan, Q. Ma, Y. Liang, C. Sun, K.V.L.V. Narayanachari, M. J. Bedzyk, I. Takeuchi, and S. M. Haile, “Unexpected trends in the enhanced Ce³⁺ surface concentration in ceria-zirconia catalyst materials,” J. Mater. Chem. A. 8 9850-9858 (2020).
• X. Xu, Y. Liu, J. Wang, D. Isheim, V. P. Dravid, C. Phatak, and S. M. Haile, “Variability and Origins of Grain Boundary Electric Potential Detected by Electron Holography and Atom Probe Tomography,” Nature Materials 19 887-893 (2020).
• S. Choi, T. C. Davenport and S. M. Haile, “Protonic ceramic electrochemical cells for hydrogen production and electricity generation: exceptional reversibility, stability, and demonstrated faradaic efficiency,” Energy & Env. Sci. 12, 206-215 (2019).
• S. Choi, C. J. Kucharczyk, Y. Liang, X. Zhang, I. Takeuchi, H.-I. Ji, and S. M. Haile, “Exceptional power density and stability at intermediate temperatures in protonic ceramic fuel cells.” Nature Energy 3, 202-210 (2018).