As a testament to his hard work and achievements, NETL’s Richard Oleksak was selected to receive the Young Leaders Professional Development Award within the Structural Materials Division of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS).

The Young Leaders Professional Development Award recognizes early career professionals who show promise for an exceptional career and who have demonstrated leadership within TMS. Candidates for the award are chosen among the technical divisions of Extraction & Processing, Functional Materials, Light Metals, Materials Processing & Manufacturing and Structural Materials.

Oleksak earned his award in the Structural Materials Division. As part of his selection, Oleksak received financial assistance to attend the TMS 2020 Annual Meeting in San Diego, Cal. where he presented NETL research and participated in several TMS related leadership activities.

Richard Oleksak, a Battelle employee on the Leidos Research Support team, is a contract research scientist working with the Structural Materials Team at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in Albany, Ore. He received his Ph.D. from Oregon State University in chemical engineering in 2015, where his research focused on synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials for microelectronics applications.

Upon joining NETL in 2015, his focus shifted to addressing corrosion issues in current and future power plants, with an emphasis on evaluating materials for next-generation supercritical CO2 power cycles. His efforts in this area have been summarized in ten peer-reviewed journal publications since 2017.

“After changing research focuses early in my career, I have found TMS to be a very welcoming organization and the perfect segue into the structural materials community,” Oleksak said. “TMS has been instrumental in connecting me with leaders in my research area and in serving as an excellent forum for the presentation and discussion of research. I am confident that the TMS annual meeting will remain a premier venue throughout my career for sharing research, forming collaborations, and fostering relationships in the materials community.”

Oleksak is now an active member in the high-temperature corrosion community. He hopes to continue research in this area to advance fundamental understanding and inform the selection and design of corrosion-resistant structural materials to enable future high-efficiency power systems.

NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that produces technological solutions for America’s energy challenges. From developing creative innovations and efficient energy systems that make coal more competitive, to advancing technologies that enhance oil and natural gas extraction and transmission processes, NETL research is providing breakthroughs and discoveries that support domestic energy initiatives, stimulate a growing economy, and improve the health, safety, and security of all Americans. Highly skilled men and women at NETL’s sites in Albany, Oregon; Anchorage, Alaska; Houston, Texas; Morgantown, West Virginia; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania conduct a broad range of research activities that support DOE’s mission to advance the national, economic, and energy security of the United States.