Marc Day, a researcher at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), has been elected a fellow of the Combustion Institute, marking him as the first individual from NREL to receive this honor. The institute, dedicated to advancing combustion science and technology, recognized Day for his significant contributions to the field, particularly in algorithmic and software advancements that enhance the simulation of turbulent combustion.
Joining NREL in December 2020 after a 25-year tenure at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Day expressed appreciation for the recognition. “There is no money or robes or sustained celebratory activities that come with this title but rather a lovely feeling inside that some of the folks that I have immense respect for also respect me and some of my work in return,” he said.
Day leads the Scalable Algorithms, Modeling and Simulation Group within NREL’s Computational Science Center and holds a doctorate in nuclear engineering. The Combustion Institute, founded in 1954, selects fellows based on peer recognition for outstanding contributions to the field. To be eligible, candidates must have been members for at least five years; Day joined the organization in 2001.
“While there is always an interest in injecting ‘young blood’ into the thoughts, practices and positions held within the organization,” Day noted, “there is a strong respect given to the senior leaders in the field. With the fellowship title, I get the sense that I have become one of those senior leaders.”
