NEWS RELEASES

M. Parans Paranthaman, an expert in solid-state chemistry and materials science at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been named R&D World’s 2026 Researcher of the Year. The honor recognizes his career translating fundamental materials research into practical technologies with real-world applications. Paranthaman, an ORNL Corporate Fellow and UT-Battelle Distinguished Inventor, joined ORNL in 1993. He has authored more than 500 peer-reviewed publications and possesses 65 U.S. patents.

In the midwestern summer, humans and plants have to breathe through the heat and humidity. Researchers hope that a retooled crop plant—one with an improved ventilation system within its leaves—could thrive while avoiding drought stress by reducing “crop sweat”. Thanks to a next generation imaging technology powered by Argonne National Laboratory’s particle collider beamline, a team of scientists now has precise schematics of the leaf’s interior and can refine approaches to breeding hardier crop plants.

The research, published in Plant Physiology, was led by postdoctoral researcher James Fischer in the laboratory of Professor of Plant Biology and Crop Sciences Andrew Leakey at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Their work represents the first detailed look at how the pores on the leaf surfaces of sorghum, a highly productive and resilient grass crop, connect to the air pathways, photosynthetic centers, and veins beneath.

Researchers at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the University of Tennessee (UT), Knoxville, have made a scientific advance by using a natural substance from fungi, called chitin, to create hydrogels that are both significantly stronger and tougher. This new material could lead to safer medical devices, longer-lasting coatings and other innovations that improve everyday technology and health care. 

Assistant Professor Haonan Ling will explore virtual solutions to biomanufacturing for the Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission, which aims to strengthen America’s energy industry and national security.