Research focus and example topics

Projects in this Division emphasize the pathway from scientific insight to engineering direction, prototypes, and defensible performance claims. Typical directions include:

• Energy and electrochemical systems (batteries, storage, hydrogen, catalysis) with clear metrics and baselines

• Photovoltaics, thermal management, and energy efficiency concepts translated into testable engineering targets

• Modeling and simulation for design decisions (trade-offs, parameter studies, sensitivity analysis)

• Performance benchmarking and fair comparison to baselines (efficiency, durability, cost constraints, safety)

• Systems-level thinking: constraints, interfaces, scale-up considerations, and validation pathways

Mentorship model

Accepted Remote Fellows join from around the world and work on milestone-driven engineering research 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: engineering concept briefs, metrics and constraints maps, modeling reports, prototype specifications, test plans, benchmarking studies, and publishable technical artifacts.

Research standards, TRIZ, and ethical AI use

We treat engineering work as an evidence-based discipline: explicit assumptions, measurable metrics, clear baselines, and transparent limitations. Fellows learn to translate ideas into validation steps—what must be measured, how it will be compared, and what would falsify a claim. AI tools may be used to accelerate evidence mapping, reference organization, structured synthesis, and drafting, but the Fellow remains responsible for verification, correctness, and intellectual ownership, with proper attribution. Where useful, TRIZ can support structured resolution of design contradictions (for example: efficiency vs. cost, energy density vs. safety, performance vs. durability) without relying on hype.

What success looks like

The objective is not “general engineering education.” The objective is the ability to produce credible, defensible engineering work that can withstand expert scrutiny: clear metrics, fair benchmarks, validated assumptions, and a disciplined research-to-prototype pathway.

Pathways to join the Engineering Division

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

Choose this route if you want to build the minimum engineering-research foundation before applying to the Fellowship. The preparation track helps you:

• define a concrete engineering problem and success metrics

• build a basic portfolio (OSF/GitHub report, simulation notebook, concept brief)

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

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

Suggested Pre-Fellowship starting tasks (examples):

• Write a 1–2 page engineering concept brief: problem → constraints → metrics → risks → validation plan.

• Create a baseline map: what is the best current benchmark and what is a fair comparison.

• Build a simple model/simulation and report sensitivity to assumptions (what changes the result most).

• Draft a prototype specification + test plan: what you would build and how you would validate it.

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 (projects, reports, prototypes, publications, strong technical background) and you are ready to deliver measurable outputs within 6–12 months.

Strong signals for direct Fellowship entry:

• public technical outputs (reports, repositories, prototypes, posters, preprints)

• evidence of rigor (metrics, baselines, validation logic, error/sensitivity analysis)

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

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

What to include in your application (Engineering Division)

To be evaluated on merit, submit:

• Output links: OSF / GitHub / portfolio / preprints / publications (required where available)

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

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

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

Example project proposals that fit this Division:

• battery/storage concept with a clear benchmark and a validation-focused test plan

• hydrogen/catalysis direction supported by evidence mapping + measurable performance targets

• photovoltaics or thermal management concept translated into design parameters and test metrics

• modeling-driven design study with sensitivity analysis and defensible conclusions

• prototype specification and benchmarking framework for an engineering idea (fair comparisons, limitations)