Dr. Savinell is the George S. Dively Professor of Electrochemical Engineering and a recognized authority on electrochemical energy storage and conversion. His research has been directed at fundamental science and engineering research for electrochemical systems and novel device design, development, and optimization. His interests have included batteries, surface area electrode electrolysis, fuel cells, chlor-alkali synthesis, bromine recovery, wastewater treatment, and the sensors pertinent to their incorporation into systems.

 

Professors Savinell and Morton Litt of CWRU hold a patent for the PBI/acid polymer electrolyte, the first system capable of practical proton conductivity at temperatures above 100o C with low relative humidity. This ground-breaking work has provided the inspiration for world-wide activity in developing high temperature polymer electrolytes, and has been licensed to several large multi-national corporations.

 

After earning his PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, he worked several years as a research scientist for the Diamond Shamrock Corporation. He then turned to academia, joining CWRU in 1986 as Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering. He was appointed Dean of the Case School of Engineering in 2001. In 2007, Professor Savinell returned to the faculty of Chemical Engineering where he continues to pursue full-time his teaching and research interests.

 

Dr. Savinell has over 100 publications and seven patents in the electrochemical field. He is a former Director of the Yeager Center for Electrochemical Sciences at CWRU, past Vice President of the International Society of Electrochemistry, and past chair of the Electrolytic and Electrochemical Engineering Division of the Electrochemical Society. He is a former editor of the Journal of the Electrochemical Society and former North American editor of the Journal of Applied Electrochemistry. He is a Fellow of the Electrochemical Society and a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.