The ASME Thar Energy Award recognizes an individual each year who has made significant contributions to the design research, innovation and product design in the areas related to energy engineering.

Professor Yuan is honored for his significant contributions to sustainable design of lithium ion batteries through the development of fundamental design methods, design and fabrication of new electrode materials for high performance batteries, as well as design of industrial operations for energy efficiency.

The award was announced in the ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conference (IDETC) held online during Aug.17-19, 2021.