Esther Takeuchi, a SUNY Distinguished Professor and William and Jane Knapp Chair of Energy and the Environment at Stony Brook University, was recently profiled by the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF). The profile focuses on her significant contributions to battery research.
Takeuchi also serves as chief scientist at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and leads its Interdisciplinary Science Department. She was inducted into the NIHF in 2011. In June, a film crew from the NIHF visited Stony Brook University to interview her for a 15-minute mini-documentary. This video is part of a series highlighting influential inventors and was produced in partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Filming took place at both BNL and the Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center (AERTC) at Stony Brook.
Takeuchi holds more than 150 U.S. patents, making her one of the most prolific women inventors in the country. Her work in electrochemistry and battery technology has had a broad impact on medicine and clean energy. She is best known for inventing the lithium/silver vanadium oxide battery, which enabled implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs). These devices have become standard treatment options that help prevent sudden cardiac death for millions of patients globally.
The NIHF website profile states: “For those with arrhythmia, or an irregular heartbeat, an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) can be lifesaving. This small medical device is placed under the skin to monitor the heartbeat, and if it senses a dangerous rhythm, it sends an electrical shock to the heart to get its beat back on track. National Inventors Hall of Fame inductee Esther Sans Takeuchi helped power these important devices by developing and advancing the lithium/silver vanadium oxide (Li/SVO) battery technology used to keep them running.”
Takeuchi commented in the profile: “I think that science can help lead us to the type of world we want to live in. We can solve problems, we can improve medicine, medical devices, and knowing that there’s the next generation of students who care about these things and are educated to take on these challenges is really a motivation.”
She has received several major honors during her career. These include the American Chemical Society’s E.V. Murphee Award in Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, as well as being awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation by President Barack Obama in 2009—the highest national award for technological achievement. Takeuchi is also a member of both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering, is a fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and has won a National Academy of Sciences Award in Chemical Sciences.
The full profile can be read on the NIHF website.
