Research focus and example topics

Projects in this Division treat energy and environmental challenges as connected systems, where technical performance must be evaluated alongside constraints such as cost, safety, scalability, regulation, and ecological impact. Typical directions include:

• Energy materials and storage concepts with defensible baselines and test conditions

• Electrochemistry, catalysis, hydrogen and fuels with measurable performance metrics and uncertainty reporting

• Photovoltaics, thermal systems, and energy efficiency approaches translated into validation plans

• Environmental sensing and monitoring (water/air quality) with endpoint definitions and benchmarking logic

• Remediation and circular materials pathways with realistic constraints and verification criteria

• Systems-level sustainability analysis, including trade-offs, constraints, and feasibility mapping

Mentorship model

Accepted Remote Fellows join from around the world and work on milestone-driven projects aligned with their background, readiness, and topic fit. When supervisors are available, Fellows are matched to a supervisor and contribute to research-grade outputs such as: literature maps, metrics-and-baselines briefs, modeling reports, experimental design plans, benchmarking studies, life-cycle or trade-off analyses (where relevant), technical reports, and publishable artifacts.

Research standards, TRIZ, and ethical AI use

We emphasize disciplined validation and responsible claims. Fellows learn to avoid “headline metrics” without context by documenting test conditions, making fair comparisons to baselines, and reporting uncertainty honestly. Where relevant, Fellows incorporate life-cycle thinking and structured trade-off analysis to reduce the risk of shifting burdens elsewhere. AI tools may be used ethically to accelerate evidence mapping, reference organization, structured synthesis, and analysis support, but the Fellow remains responsible for verification, correctness, and intellectual ownership, with proper attribution. TRIZ can be applied to resolve design contradictions (for example: efficiency vs. cost, performance vs. safety, scalability vs. footprint) through structured reasoning rather than hype.

What success looks like

The objective is not course completion. The objective is the ability to produce credible, defensible research and innovation outputs that can withstand expert scrutiny: clear metrics, realistic constraints, fair benchmarking, transparent uncertainty, and a pathway from research insight to implementable direction.

Pathways to join the Energy & Environment Division

Option A — Pre-Fellowship Preparation (recommended if you are not yet ready)

Choose this route if you want to build a strong foundation before applying to the Fellowship. The preparation track helps you:

• define a precise sustainability problem with measurable endpoints and constraints

• build a basic portfolio (OSF/GitHub report, literature map, trade-off brief)

• learn reproducible workflows (documentation, benchmarking, validation planning)

• produce a “readiness package” for merit-based selection

Suggested Pre-Fellowship starting tasks (examples):

• Write a 1–2 page metrics-and-constraints brief: problem → endpoint → baseline → constraints → validation plan.

• Build an evidence table from 15–25 core papers (conditions, metrics, limitations, comparability).

• Draft an experimental or evaluation protocol: controls, confounders, measurement plan, failure modes.

• Create a trade-off map (and where relevant, a life-cycle checklist) to identify burden shifting risks.

Outcome: you finish with verifiable artifacts that make your Fellowship application strong and defensible.

Option B — Apply directly to the NanoTRIZ Innovation Fellowship

Choose this route if you already have evidence of readiness and you are prepared to deliver measurable outputs within 6–12 months.

Strong signals for direct Fellowship entry:

• public outputs (reports, repositories, posters, preprints, publications)

• evidence of rigor (clear baselines, fair comparisons, uncertainty awareness, reproducibility)

• a realistic plan with milestones, constraints, risks, and validation criteria

• ability to commit to milestone-driven work and professional documentation

What to include in your application (Energy & Environment Division)

To be evaluated on merit, submit:

• Output links: OSF / GitHubub / arXiv / DOI / portfolio pages (required where available)

• Top 5 skills + evidence: each with a proof link (required)

• Project proposal (1 page): problem, endpoints/metrics, baselines, constraints, method, milestones, risks, validation plan

• Resources: tools/equipment/datasets/computing access (if relevant)

Example project proposals that fit this Division:

• energy storage or catalysis direction with clear benchmark conditions and a defensible evaluation plan

• environmental sensing project defining endpoints, calibration logic, and validation criteria

• systematic evidence map identifying an underexplored sustainability pathway with testable hypotheses

• modeling-driven feasibility study with sensitivity analysis and transparent limitations

• trade-off and life-cycle-informed concept brief that reduces burden shifting and supports implementable design