James Liao has been named co-winner of the 2013 Eni Prize for renewable energy research. Liao was recognized for his work in synthesizing isobutanol and other higher alcohols as biofuels. The award was presented at the presidential Palace in Rome on June 27, is given by the Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei in Milan.
Researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science demonstrate for the first time the feasibility of using proteins — one of the most abundant biomolecules on earth — as a significant raw material for biorefining and biofuel production.
James Liao was elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) for his advances in metabolic engineering of microorganisms to produce fuels and chemicals. Election to the National Academy of Engineering is one of the highest honors bestowed upon engineers.
A new "bioreactor" could store electricity as liquid fuel with the help of a genetically engineered microbe and copious carbon dioxide. The idea—dubbed "electrofuels" by a federal agency funding the research—could offer electricity storage that would have the energy density of fuels such as gasoline.
James Liao was one of nine individuals honored at the White House as Champions of Change for advancing new ideas that are leading the way to a clean energy future and an economy that’s built to last. The Champions of Change program was created as a part of President Obama’s Winning the Future initiative.
James Liao, the first UCLA professor to receive the 2010 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in its 15-year history, is being recognized for his groundbreaking work recycling carbon dioxide for the biosynthesis of higher alcohols.