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Dr. Rahul Singhal, a faculty member at Central Connecticut State University, has won a prestigious award for research in the dynamic field of sustainable energy. The award is conferred annually by the Board of Regents of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system (CSCU).
Dr. Rahul Singhal of Rocky Hill, an associate professor of Physics and Engineering Physics at Central, received the 2022-23 System-Wide Board of Regents Research Award. The Board of Regents annually recognizes faculty members from Central, Eastern, Southern, and Western Connecticut State Universities for excellence in teaching and research. Notably, the award Dr. Singhal received is given to one faculty member who best exemplifies high quality research among the nominees from throughout Central.
Dr. Singhal’s research centers on sustainable energy storage systems, including high energy density batteries and supercapacitors, which are essential components to electric vehicles and devices such as laptops and phones. Dr. Singhal has secured several grants to support his research, including one from the NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium, a federally mandated program that makes awards to fund research projects related to NASA’s mission.
In a letter nominating Dr. Singhal for the award, Dr. Peter K. LeMaire, chair of the Central Department of Physics and Engineering Physics, noted, “Dr. Singhal’s work is in an area of great importance to our students, the nation, and, indeed, the planet. As we move more and more toward clean energy production, research of stationary and portable high density energy storage systems will be indispensable.”
A Central faculty member since 2015, Dr. Singhal helped establish formal agreements between Central and two universities in India — the Indian Institute of Technology and Chaudhary Charan Singh University — to enhance collaborative research and facilitate student exchange. Dr. Singhal is the author or coauthor of dozens of professional papers, and last fall he was an invited speaker at the annual Electrochemical Society Meeting in Atlanta, Ga. He also gave a plenary talk and conducted a workshop for students and faculty at the 2022 International Conference on Green Technology at Chaudhary Charan Singh University.