Dr. Ilias Belharouak is a Corporate Fellow and Head of the Electrification Section at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). He leads strategic research and development initiatives to advance U.S. leadership in battery energy storage and domestic manufacturing. His portfolio spans materials discovery, advanced electrode and electrolyte systems, cell engineering, diagnostics, and recycling, all aimed at enabling safer, higher-performance, and more sustainable electrification technologies.
Dr. Belharouak is a professor in the Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and an Adjunct Full Professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology, where he advises the Battery Ph.D. Program. He also contributes to national strategy through service on advisory boards supporting universities, federal agencies, and industry partnerships.
An internationally recognized authority in energy storage science, Dr. Belharouak has authored more than 250 peer-reviewed publications, holds 50 U.S. patents and patent applications, and has written five books. His innovations have been recognized with seven R&D 100 Awards and four Federal Laboratory Consortium Awards. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Power Sources and is widely invited to deliver keynote and plenary talks at global conferences.
