Esther Takeuchi, a SUNY Distinguished Professor and William and Jane Knapp Chair of Energy and the Environment at Stony Brook University, was recently featured in a profile by the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF). The NIHF highlighted her contributions to battery research and her impact on medical technology.
Takeuchi holds a joint position as chief scientist at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and leads its Interdisciplinary Science Department. She was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2011. In June, an NIHF film crew visited Stony Brook University to interview Takeuchi for a 15-minute mini-documentary. The documentary is part of a series that tells the stories of notable inventors and was produced in partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Filming took place at both BNL and the Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center (AERTC) at Stony Brook.
Takeuchi is recognized as one of the most prolific women inventors in the country, holding more than 150 U.S. patents. Her research in electrochemistry and battery technology led to significant advancements in medicine and clean energy. Notably, she developed the lithium/silver vanadium oxide battery, which enabled implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs). These devices are now standard treatment for preventing sudden cardiac death among patients worldwide.
The NIHF website states: “For those with arrhythmia, or an irregular heartbeat, an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) can be lifesaving. This small medical device is placed under the skin to monitor the heartbeat, and if it senses a dangerous rhythm, it sends an electrical shock to the heart to get its beat back on track. National Inventors Hall of Fame inductee Esther Sans Takeuchi helped power these important devices by developing and advancing the lithium/silver vanadium oxide (Li/SVO) battery technology used to keep them running.”
Takeuchi commented in her profile: “I think that science can help lead us to the type of world we want to live in,” she said. “We can solve problems, we can improve medicine, medical devices, and knowing that there’s the next generation of students who care about these things and are educated to take on these challenges is really a motivation.”
Her achievements have been recognized with several awards including the American Chemical Society’s E.V. Murphee Award in Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, as well as the National Medal of Technology and Innovation presented by President Barack Obama in 2009. She is also a member or fellow of multiple organizations such as the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and has received a National Academy of Sciences Award in Chemical Sciences.
The full profile can be found on the NIHF website.