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Rabat – Renowned Moroccan scientist Rachid Yazmi has won the prestigious VinFuture Grand Prize alongside three other distinguished scientists for their groundbreaking contributions to the field of green energy production.
The VinFuture Grand Prize is valued at an astonishing $3 million. The list of winners included Martin Andrew Green from Australia, Stanley Whittingham representing the United States, and Akira Yoshino of Japan.
Awarded by the non-profit VinFuture Foundation, the prize aims to honor “transformative” scientific and technological breakthroughs capable of “catalyzing profound positive changes in the lives of millions across the globe.”
The work of the Moroccan scientist revolves around the development of sustainable platforms for green energy production, particularly through solar cell technology and the creation of lithium-ion batteries for energy storage.
Rachid Yazami, along with Stanley Whittingham, Akira Yoshino, and the late John Goodenough, are recognized for their central roles in the rapid development of lithium-ion batteries, which currently power a staggering 15 billion mobile devices and 26 million electric vehicles worldwide.
A native of Fez, Morocco, Yazami began his academic journey at France’s Grenoble Institute of Technology, where he earned his MS in electrochemistry and later a PhD in graphite intercalation compounds for lithium batteries.
Yazami then joined the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in Grenoble, filling the position of research director.
He also joined Caltech for a decade as a visiting associate in materials science and chemistry, collaborating closely with JPL/NASA. The collaboration fostered advancements in cutting-edge battery technologies.
In 2010, Yazami worked for the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, where he assumed the role of visiting professor in materials science.
His current research revolves around battery technologies, covering not only lithium batteries but also exploring the potentials of “beyond lithium” future battery technologies, which includes work in liquid anode alkali metal-air and fluoride-ion batteries.
He is equally known as the founder of CFX Battery, (now Contour Energy Systems), a start-up that specializes in primary and rechargeable lithium and fluoride batteries in Azusa, California.
He is currently the director of energy storage programs at the Energy Research Institute and principal investigator of battery research at the Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) Center for Electromobility, a collaborative effort between NTU and the Technological University of Munich.
He founded Kvi Pte. in Singapore in 2011, a company dedicated to enhancing battery life and safety across various applications.
Over 70 patents related to battery technology bear the name of Yazami, including advancements in nano-Si- and nano-Ge-based anodes and the lithium-carbon fluoride battery for specialized applications. He has co-authored over 250 papers on batteries and their materials.
Read Also: Morocco’s Rachid Yazami Invents World’s Fastest Lithium Batteries
