Both in his individual research and leadership roles, Dr. Suresh Baskaran has leveraged fundamental science to understand and address applied technical challenges in energy and transportation. During his 5-1/2 years as the Chief Science and Technology Officer (CSTO) for the Energy and Environment Directorate (EED) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Dr. Baskaran was primarily responsible for directing science and technology investments related to energy and environment to deliver solutions for the nation’s most important challenges. He currently serves on the advisory boards of DOE’s Energy Innovation Hub on Critical Materials and the Great Lakes Energy Institute at Case Western Reserve University.Dr. Baskaran has served in key research and leadership roles since joining PNNL in 1993. As a researcher, he developed new materials for automotive, power generation, and microelectronic applications. He led a technical group focused on materials structure and performance with researchers in both basic and applied materials science. He also led a Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) initiative on hydrogen science and technology with research thrusts in hydrogen production, gas separation and CO2 capture technology. He has testified in front of the Washington State House Committee on Critical Materials, along with experts from University of Washington and Washington State University, to highlight the challenges with industrial materials. Dr. Baskaran's research is reflected in 50 technical papers and 10 U.S. patents, two patent portfolios that were licensed by industry and a spark plug resistor material that was transferred to industry and put into full-scale production. Dr. Baskaran was elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences in 2016 based on his scientific and technical contribution and service to Washington State initiatives.