Two researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden have been named fellows of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). The honor was bestowed this fall to Zhiwen Ma and Bidzina Kekelia, both senior engineers with doctorates in mechanical engineering.
ASME annually recognizes a select group of its 72,000 members for their “exceptional engineering achievements and contributions to the engineering profession and to ASME.” Less than 5% of members are awarded this distinction.
“It is a great honor to serve the engineering community with ASME recognition on clean-energy technologies,” said Ma, who has been with NREL for 16 years. His career has included work in thermal energy storage, hydrogen production and storage, and concentrating solar thermal power, with particular advancements in using sand as a medium for thermal energy storage moving toward commercial adoption.
Kekelia, who will mark his 10th anniversary at NREL in February, has focused on vehicle thermal management, novel cooling methods for power electronics, and traction drives for ground electric vehicles and electrified aviation. He previously worked in Georgia, rehabilitating the energy sector after the Soviet Union’s collapse and other regional conflicts.
Sreekant Narumanchi, an ASME fellow and group manager at NREL, noted, “I consider Bidzina a great colleague and collaborator, an outstanding technical contributor and innovator, and an important thought leader in our community.” He added, “One of Bidzina’s most impressive professional qualities is the depth and breadth of his technical expertise.”
In addition to Kekelia and Ma, Gilbert Moreno was also named an ASME fellow at the end of 2023. They join a list of current NREL staff members who have received this honor, including Robert Thresher, Paul Veers, Sreekant Narumanchi and Michael Martin.
