
About MI Hydrogen
Hydrogen is an important energy carrier that can play a key role in reducing carbon emissions from heavy-duty vehicles and aviation, heating and distributed power, and industrial applications like steelmaking, glassmaking and semiconductor manufacturing.
There is growing interest around wider adoption of hydrogen and its potential economic and environmental benefits, and so the University of Michigan has launched a new initiative to support and catalyze multidisciplinary research involving the universe’s lightest and most abundant element.
MI Hydrogen, a joint venture by the Office of the Vice President for Research, Michigan Engineering and the School for Environment and Sustainability, will foster collaboration among U-M researchers, community groups, government and industry partners so they can address existing knowledge gaps and develop strategies to help society transition toward an energy future that is equitable, affordable, clean and secure. The initiative, which will engage faculty across disciplines, is designed to provide the leading research necessary to accelerate the use of hydrogen beyond current industrial limits.
MI Hydrogen is part of the newly launched Institute for Energy Solutions, which is supported by Michigan Engineering and the Office of the Vice President for Research. Professors Todd Allen and Greg Keoleian, who have extensive research experience in fields ranging from nuclear engineering to sustainable systems, will serve as co-directors for MI Hydrogen.

Todd Allen

Greg Keoleian
Allen and Keoleian recently convened a series of visioning sessions with faculty engaged in the hydrogen space to solicit feedback regarding ways in which U-M can help accelerate clean and just energy transitions. The initiative builds upon the Hydrogen Roadmap for the State of Michigan Workshop hosted last spring at U-M, which brought together stakeholders from academia, industry and government, and led to a report published by the Center for Sustainable Systems, a lead collaborator of MI Hydrogen.
Based on community input around the proposed design and direction for the initiative, MI Hydrogen will launch with a set of new research projects focused on transportation and industrial applications. Hydrogen is primarily used nowadays in the chemical and petroleum refining industries.
Teams also will analyze the potential statewide demand for hydrogen, and develop a framework for hydrogen ecosystem planning and implementation. A majority of hydrogen production in the United States and abroad is generated from steam methane reforming of natural gas, which is problematic from a climate change perspective.
The potential for hydrogen to serve as a clean, economical energy carrier has generated increased momentum federally, highlighted by a recent commitment from the Department of Energy to invest $7 billion toward the creation of six to 10 regional hubs designed to accelerate the deployment of hydrogen across the U.S.

MI Hydrogen will launch with a set of new research projects focused on transportation and industrial applications. Teams also will analyze the potential statewide demand for hydrogen, and develop a framework for hydrogen ecosystem planning and implementation.
U-M Hydrogen Expertise

Alauddin Ahmed
Mechanical Engineering

Todd Allen
Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences

Andre Boehman
Mechanical Engineering

Rohini Bala Chandran
Mechanical Engineering

Matthew Collette
Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering

Daniel Cooper
Mechanical Engineering

Michael Craig
School for Environment and Sustainability; Industrial and Operations Engineering

Royan D'Mello
Aerospace Engineering

Tulga Ersal
Mechanical Engineering

Mirko Gamba
Mechanical Engineering

Vikram Gavini
Mechanical Engineering; Materials Science and Engineering

Gabby Hoelzle
Nuclear Engineering & Radiological Sciences

Brendan Kochunas
Nuclear Engineering & Radiological Sciences

Greg Keoleian
Center for Sustainable Systems; School for Environment and Sustainability

Geoffrey Lewis
Center for Sustainable Systems; School for Environment and Sustainability

Tom Lyon
Ross School of Business; School for Environment and Sustainability

Joaquim R.R.A. Martins
Aerospace Engineering

Adam Matzger
Chemistry; Macromolecular Science and Engineering

Zetian Mi
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Michael Moore
School for Environment and Sustainability

Josh Newell
School for Environment and Sustainability

Eranda Nikolla
Chemical Engineering

Jason Siegel
Mechanical Engineering

Nirala Signh
Chemical Engineering

Sara Soderstrom
Organizational Studies

Anna Stefanopoulou
Mechanical Engineering

Xiaodong Sun
Nuclear Engineering & Radiological Sciences

Sita Syal
Mechanical Engineering

Parth Vaishnav
School for Environment and Sustainability

Aditi Verma
Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences

Timothy Wallington
Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering

Margaret Wooldridge
Mechanical Engineering
News
Upcoming Events


Dr. Joaquim R.R.A. Martins is the Pauline M. Sherman Collegiate Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan
Hydrogen-Powered Aircraft: Fundamental Concepts, Key Technologies, and Environmental Impacts
presented by Joaquim R.R.A. Martins, Ph.D.
Abstract:
Civil aviation generates as much economic activity as a country in the top ten countries by gross domestic product. However, the benefits come with damaging environmental effects. Society needs revolutionary aircraft technology to meet environmental goals and sustain the civil aviation industry. Hydrogen aircraft have the potential to fly existing routes with no carbon emissions and reduce or eliminate other emissions. In the long term, hydrogen aircraft appear to be the most compelling alternative to today’s kerosene-powered aircraft. Using hydrogen also enables new technologies, such as fuel cells and superconducting electronics, which could lead to new aircraft that are not feasible with jet fuel. Hydrogen aircraft introduce novel technical and economic challenges. They appear technically feasible but require further development of hydrogen storage tanks, fuel systems, and propulsion technologies. Economically, government incentives or regulations are necessary to overcome the inertia of the risk-averse aerospace industry and make hydrogen aircraft appealing to airlines.
Bio:
Joaquim R. R. A. Martins is the Pauline M. Sherman Collegiate Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan, where he heads the Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Laboratory. He also holds a courtesy appointment in the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. His research group develops MDO methods and applies them to the design of aircraft and other engineering systems. He is a co-author of “Engineering Design Optimization”, a textbook published by Cambridge University Press. Prof. Martins is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. Before joining the University of Michigan faculty in 2009, he was an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies. From 2002, he held a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Multidisciplinary Optimization. He received his undergraduate degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Imperial College, London, with a British Aerospace Award. He obtained his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from Stanford University, where he was awarded the Ballhaus prize for best thesis in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He has received the Best Paper Award at AIAA Conferences five times. He has served as Associate Editor for the AIAA Journal, Optimization and Engineering, and Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization. He is currently an Associate Editor for the Journal of Aircraft.
Event time and date: Friday, February 10, 2023 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Location: Join this Zoom event.
Past Events
Opportunities and Challenges for Hydrogen to Decarbonize Energy Sectors with Amgad Elgowainy, Ph.D.
February 3, 2023


Dr. Amgad Elgowainy is a senior scientist and distinguished fellow at Argonne National Laboratory
DOE National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap with Marc Melaina, Ph.D.
January 20, 2023


Marc W. Melaina, Ph.D.
Senior Analyst
U.S. Department of Energy, Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office
Boston Government Services (contractor)
Note: Dr. Melaina is one of the primary authors of the DOE National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap report.
Hydrogen Safety and Reliability for Sustainable Mobility with Dr. Fatemeh Salehi
January 5, 2023


Dr. Fatemeh Salehi is an Associate Professor at the School of Engineering, Macquarie University, Australia.
Partnerships & Connections





