On behalf of the U.S. Sections of The Combustion Institute, the CI is excited to announce the winner of the 2023 U.S. Early Career Combustion Investigator Award, Dr. Derek Splitter. This award “recognizes the contributions of an early career combustion investigator from within the United States” as well as “excellence in combustion research, the potential for future leadership in the field and service to the combustion research community.”

Dr. Splitter received his M.S. and PhD. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison at the Engine Research Center. He currently is a senior staff research member at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the Combustion and Fuel Science Group, where he studies alternative fuels and low-carbon transportation solutions, advanced materials, neutron imaging, premixed, heterogeneous, abnormal, and kinetically controlled combustion internal combustion engine processes. He is active in the engine combustion community and has authored over 90 publications and multiple patents in engine materials, fuels, and combustion processes ranging conventional spark and compression ignition processes, stochastic pre-ignition, novel bi-metallic materials, to advanced combustion processes including HCCI, RCCI, PPC. Some of his work has been distinguished with the SAE Horning Memorial, and Myers Awards, an R&D 100 finalist and winner, and he is an active member in SAE, ASME, and The Combustion Institute.

The U.S. Early Career Combustion Investigator Award is presented biannually at the U.S. National Combustion Meeting, with this year’s award being presented in March 2023 at the 13th U.S. National Combustion Meeting, to be held at Texas A&M University. Congratulations Derek!