Dr. DeCaluwe comes to the Department of Mechanical Engineering at CSM after completing a National Research Council post-doctoral fellowship at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). He obtained his undergraduate degree from Peabody College at Vanderbilt University in Elementary Education and Mathematics, and taught 1st and 2nd grade for 3 years before attending graduate school at the University of Maryland. His PhD work focused on the use of cerium oxide as a carbon-tolerant catalyst in solid oxide fuel cells, and involved experimental work as well as mathematical modeling. Dr. DeCaluwes work at NIST utilized neutron reflectometry experiments to study solid electrolyte interphase formation in Lithium-ion batteries and water uptake in thin-film polymers for PEM fuel cells.

Dr. DeCaluwe's research interests focus on interfacial studies of electrochemical energy systems, in particular the use of fundamental experiments to inform and validate multi-scale numerical models. Applications include solid oxide and polymer electrolyte fuel cells, as well as Lithium-ion batteries. His work at CSM will focus on interfacial studies of electrochemical energy systems, in particular the use of in situ measurements to validate and assist in scale-up of atomistic models.