​Husam Alshareef, KAUST professor of material science and engineering, won the 2018 Kuwait Prize in the field of Clean and Sustainable Energy Technologies. He was awarded the prize on December 5 in a ceremony in Kuwait in recognition of his distinguished scientific contributions in the area of energy storage.

The Kuwait Prize, which was established in 1979 by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), recognizes the achievements in different fields of Arab scholars and researchers living around the world. Prizes are awarded every year on topics in basic science; applied sciences; economics and social science; arts and literature; and Arabic and Islamic scientific heritage.

The announcements came after the endorsement of His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Emir of the State of Kuwait and chairman of the KFAS Board of Directors, of the decisions of the board based on recommendations forwarded by the Prize Council and the reports of the evaluation and selection panels.

KAUST Professor Husam Alshareef (right) is shown here receiving the Kuwait Prize in Kuwait on December 5. Image courtesy of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences.

In recommending Alshareef for the prize, the selection committee noted, "Professor Husam Alshareef is an internationally recognized expert in the field of energy storage known for his innovative research in developing materials for energy storage devices such as batteries and supercapacitors."

In receiving the award, Alshareef joins a select group of 120 distinguished Arab scientists and scholars who won the prize.

"I thank the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences for this award. I am especially happy because this prize recognizes our scientific contributions based on work done entirely at KAUST," Alshareef said.

KAUST Professor Husam Alshareef (left) works with members of his Functional Nanomaterials & Devices group on a device in the lab. File photo.

Alshareef's recent work in energy storage includes development of sodium and zinc ion batteries, aqueous batteries, electrochemical supercapacitors, microsupercapacitors and microbatteries. His Functional Nanomaterials & Devices research group has been developing layered electrode materials by chemical synthesis, laser and plasma-based synthesis and atomic layer deposition.

"I encourage my students and postdoctoral fellows to be independent thinkers and to integrate their newly discovered materials into practical devices," explained Alshareef.

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