UTA professor of chemistry and biochemistry receives Doctor Honoris Causa
Krishnan Rajeshwar, UTA distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Texas at Arlington, received a Doctor Honoris Causa degree last month from the University of Szeged in Hungary, in recognition for his outstanding achievements in support for the mission of the University.
“It is a great honor to be awarded an honorary degree from such an outstanding internationally ranked university,” Rajeshwar said. “All of my collaborators at the University of Szeged have been top-tier researchers and we have been able to achieve international recognition for our work.”
Prof. Rajeshwar’s relationship with the University of Szeged dates back to 2008 when Csaba Visy, now a professor emeritus of the university, contacted him at a conference for a potential collaboration. The cooperation deepened when Csaba Janáky, then an assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Szeged, worked in his UTA laboratory between 2011 and 2013 under a Marie Curie Fellowship.
Since then, two Hungarian graduate students also spent considerable time in Rajeshwar’s laboratories learning advanced electrochemistry/photoelectrochemistry and solid-state chemical synthesis techniques which they then took back to Hungary to advance their own research.
This cooperation has resulted in 29 joint publications published in prestigious journals, including some extensive review articles such as the cover article in ChemElectroChem in February 2016 on new high-performance materials for solar fuel generation.
Rajeshwar’s research on solar cell conversion and storage has focused around finding new materials that can harness sunlight to split carbon dioxide and water into useable fuels like methanol and hydrogen gas. He has received international recognition and is a former President of the Electrochemical Society. He founded the Center for Renewable Energy Science & Technology or CREST on this campus.
He has collaborated with many UTA faculty over the years. For example, he and Brian Dennis, a UTA professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, worked on a project with NASA funding to improve methods for oxygen recovery and reuse aboard human spacecraft.
Frederick MacDonnell, chair of UTA’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, underlined the importance of this honorary degree and Rajeshwar’s research in the context of UTA’s focus on high-impact research and scholarship and global engagement within the University’s Strategic Plan 2020: Bold Solutions|Global Impact.
“Dr. Rajeshwar’s honorary degree reflects his ongoing leadership in research around new materials for solar cells, as well as his commitment toward building up global collaborations that benefit the University and our students,” he said.