Yun Hang Hu Elected into Canadian Academy of Engineering

Yun Hang Hu’s pioneering contributions to advanced materials and clean energy have earned him recognition as a Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE) Fellow.

Hu, the Charles and Carroll McArthur Professor in Materials Science and Engineering at Michigan Technological University, is one of 46 new fellows, along with eight new international fellows and one honorary fellow, who will be inducted in a ceremony on June 20 in Victoria, British Columbia.

CAE fellows are nominated and elected by their peers in recognition of their distinguished achievements and career-long service.

“Over the past 36 years, fellows of the academy have provided engineering leadership in the fields of education, infrastructure, innovation, energy, transportation and many more,” said CAE President Soheil Asgarpour in the announcement today. “New fellows have been selected for their outstanding contributions to engineering in Canada and around the world and for their service as role models in their fields and to their communities.” 

“I am very honored and humbled by my election to the Canadian Academy of Engineering,” Hu said. “I owe this to the great support from my family, colleagues and students.”

Hu is an international leader regarded as a pioneer in research of advanced materials and processes. He has made groundbreaking contributions to advanced catalysts, novel materials and innovative processes for clean energy and renewable energy. According to CAE, his collaborations with Canadian universities created a new direction not only for heterogeneous catalysis but also for the utilization of solar energy and greenhouse gases.

Hu was previously elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Physical Society, the American Chemical Society, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the ASM International and the Royal Society of Chemistry.

A recipient of the Rudolph A. Erren Award from the International Association for Hydrogen Energy (IAHE) because of his seminal contributions to hydrogen storage and production, Hu’s accomplishments have been recognized with prestigious awards at Michigan Tech. He received  both the Michigan Tech Research and Bhakta Rath Research awards in 2017, marking the first time a researcher has earned both simultaneously. He also received the Exceptional Graduate Faculty Mentor Award after being nominated by students and selected by the executive committee of Michigan Tech’s Graduate Student Government.

Hu has published more than 300 papers in high-impact scientific journals and delivered more than 170 invited talks, including 53 plenary/keynote talks to national and international conferences. He was the chair of the American Chemical Society’s Division of Energy and Fuels. He currently serves as the editor-in-chief of Energy Science & Engineering, a Wiley journal. He is also an editorial board member for eight other journals, including ACS Energy Letters.