Esther S. Takeuchi

Esther S. Takeuchi is a SUNY Distinguished Professor in the UB departments of chemical and biological engineering, electrical engineering and chemistry. She is also director of the New York State Center for Advanced Technology.

As a researcher, Takeuchi's focus is on novel power sources, including development of new materials and investigation of faradaic and non-faradaic mechanisms relevant to battery systems. Previously employed at Greatbatch Inc., her achievements in lithium battery research, particularly on cells for implantable applications, led to a number of key technological developments, including the lithium/silver vanadium oxide (Li/SVO) battery, which powers the majority of implantable cardiac defibrillators. A prolific inventor, she holds more than 140 patents.

She is a member of National Academy of Engineering and has received numerous awards for her research achievements, including the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, which she received from President Barack Obama in 2009. She has also received the Jacob F. Schoellkopf Award from the Western New York American Chemical Society, and both the Electrochemical Society Technology Award and the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award from the Technical Societies Council of the Niagara Frontier.

She was inducted into the Western New York Women's Hall of Fame, and in 2008 was selected for an inaugural Astellas Foundation Award by the American Chemical Society for scientific work impacting public health. She is a recipient of the Chancellor Charles P. Norton Medal and, most recently, she was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Takeuchi has served the Western New York community as well, as a member of the boards of directors of the Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart and the Buffalo Museum of Science.

She received a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania with a double major in chemistry and history and completed her PhD in chemistry at the Ohio State University. Her postdoctoral work was conducted at both the University of North Carolina and UB.