[UNISTar Success Stories] UNIST Alumni Leads Development of Solar Hydrogen Panels at NREL

《Editor’s Note: Great innovations begin with bold and ambitious ideas. At UNISt, we provide a platform where scientific and techological visions become reality. By bringing together leading researchers from around the world and Korea’s brightest talents, UNIST fosters a vibrant culture of exploration and discovery. Our alumni, shaped by this spirit, are turning imagination into real-world impact. Through this series, [UNISTar Success Stories—Turning Imagination into Reality], we celebrate those transforming visionary ideas into advancements that drive societal change.

Innovation born in UNIST laboratories—where imagination becomes reality—has now reached the heart of global energy research in the United States.

Dr. Dharmesh Hansora, a recent Ph.D. graduate of the UNIST School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST, was appointed as a recipient of the Director’s Postdoctoral Fellowship from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a key research institute under the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). This highly competitive honor, awarded annually to only a select few young scientists worldwide, reflects the global recognition of his research capabilities cultivated at UNIST.

Dr. Hansora earned his Ph.D. in School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST in 2023.

Earning his Ph.D. in 2023, Dr. Hansora shared his aspirations, “Building on my postdoctoral experience at UNIST, I am now taking the next step at NREL to commercialize solar hydrogen technology that was once confined to the laboratory.” He further added, “I hope to contribute to the global transition toward sustainable energy.”

He is joined by his wife and fellow UNIST alumna, Dr. Rashmi Mehrotra, as they embark on this new chapter together. Two talents nurtured by UNIST are now contributing to America’s pursuit of energy independence.

Korea is a powerhouse of technology, and UNIST is a globally leading research university!

Originally from Gujarat, India, he chose UNIST in 2017 to pursue greater challenges on the global stage. Under the mentorship of Professor Jaesung Lee (School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, he focused on advancing photoelectrochemical (PEC) systems—technologies that generate clean hydrogen using sunlight and water. His work broke new ground through innovations such as inkjet-printed large-area photoelectrodes, outdoor demonstration modules, perovskite-based photoelectrodes, and integrated metal oxide catalysts.

Dr. Hansora (far right) celebrates a research milestone with colleagues in front of a solar hydrogen panel at UNIST.

His research expanded further through interdisciplinary collaboration with Professors Sang Il Seok and Ji Wook Jang, exploring materials-based approaches to enhance the physical stability and reaction efficiency of PEC systems. Reflecting on his experience, he said, “UNIST’s collaborative research culture and world-class infrastructure played a crucial role in our success.”

These efforts led to publications in top-tier journals, such as Nature Energy and Joule, with core technologies secured by domestic patents. A turning point came in the winter of 2022, when, after 30 days of intensive experimentation, his team successfully fabricated 16 large-scale photoelectrodes capable of producing hydrogen under sunlight—a defining milestone in his research career.

At the 2023 NANO KOREA Symposium, Dr. Hansora was presented with the ‘Best Research Poster’ award.

“Thanks to teamwork, I witnessed the impossible become possible,” he reflected, noting that this experience embodied UNIST’s core value of creating something new through research. For his achievements, he received the Outstanding Graduate Award from the Department of Chemistry and the Best Research Poster Award at the 2023 NANO KOREA Symposium.

What began as an idea at UNIST has evolved into innovations driving the global transition to clean energy!

Now at NREL, Dr. Hansora is leading the development of Practical Solar Hydrogen Panels, a key DOE project aimed at scaling laboratory breakthroughs into commercially viable clean hydrogen technologies.

“I am deeply grateful for the research training, teamwork, and dedicated mentorship at UNIST,” he said. “Through the NREL Fellowship, I hope to advance both technological innovation and social contribution as a scientist.”

To aspiring scientists, he offers this message, “Believe in your potential, embrace failure as part of the journey, and turn your imagination into experiments.”