Energy for Sustainability
Dr. Ram B. Gupta
Program Director, Energy for Sustainability Program, CBET Division
National Science Foundation
Today’s world is facing two critical challenges: (1) high fuel prices, and (2) climatic changes. Both of these are linked to the overdependence on the fossil fuels: petroleum, natural gas, and coal. The transport is almost totally dependent on fossil particularly petroleum based fuels such as gasoline, diesel fuel, liquefied petroleum gas, and natural gas. The combination of rising oil prices, issues of security, climate instability and pollution, and deepening poverty in rural and agricultural areas, is propelling governments to enact powerful incentives for the use of renewable energy. In this talk, NSF’s Energy for Sustainability program will be presented. This program supports fundamental research and education that will enable innovative processes for the sustainable production of electricity and transportation fuels. Processes for sustainable energy production must be environmentally benign, reduce greenhouse gas emission, and utilize renewable resources. Projects include those related to biofuels, photovoltaic solar energy, wind energy, and advanced batteries for transportation. In addition, two other programs Sustainable Energy Pathway; and Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation will also be presented.
Biographical Information
Dr. Ram B. Gupta is the Director of Energy for Sustainability Program in the Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems at the National Science Foundation. This program supports fundamental research and education that will enable innovative processes for the sustainable production of electricity and transportation fuels. Processes for sustainable energy production must be environmentally benign, reduce greenhouse gas production, and utilize renewable resources. Projects include those related to biofuels, photovoltaic solar energy, wind energy, and advanced batteries for transportation.
Dr. Gupta serves National Science Foundation under an intergovernmental personnel assignment from Auburn University where he is Walt and Virginia Woltosz chair professor of chemical engineering. He received the B.E. degree (1987) from Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, the M.S. degree (1989) from the University of Calgary, and the Ph.D. degree (1993) from the University of Texas at Austin, all in chemical engineering. He joined Auburn University in 1995, after two year postdoctoral work at the University of California, Berkeley. His recent books are: Nanoparticle Technology for Drug Delivery (2006, Taylor & Francis), Solubility in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (2007, CRC Press), Hydrogen Fuel: Production, Transport, and Storage (2008, CRC Press), and Gasoline, Diesel and Ethanol Biofuels from Grasses and Plants (Cambridge University Press, 2010).