Human Resources
Postdoctoral Performance Award Recipients
Argonne established the Postdoctoral Performance Awards to recognize postdoctoral researchers who have made significant contributions to their research field, shown ingenuity in problem solving, demonstrated collaborative and leadership ability, made a significant impact on Argonne and U.S. Department of Energy missions, and demonstrated Argonne’s core values through their work.
“Our postdocs are exemplars of innovation and dedication in their fields, which span basic and applied research. Their exceptional contributions are all about collaboration, ingenuity and commitment to addressing the pressing challenges of our time, advancing both scientific progress and societal well-being.” — Tina Henne, Argonne early-career development lead
2026 Postdoctoral Performance Award Recipients
Current Postdocs
Former Postdocs
Krishna Teja Chitty‑Venkata
Krishna Teja Chitty-Venkata works on ways to run large AI language models efficiently on supercomputers. He created an open-source testing tool called LLM-Inference-Bench along with a public dashboard that lets researchers measure and compare how quickly and efficiently different systems run AI models. This tool is used on several major computing systems, including Polaris, Aurora, the JLSE cluster, and the AI Testbed. He also developed techniques such as PagedEviction, LExI, and WactiGrad to reduce memory bottlenecks, improve request processing, and optimize internal calculations. His work has achieved faster response times, quicker inference and higher accuracy while doubling throughput. Learn more.
Chi Thang Nguyen
Chi Thang Nguyen works on new ways to deposit materials very precisely during microelectronics manufacturing. He develops area-selective deposition, a technique that allows materials to grow only where they are needed on a surface while avoiding other areas. One approach he studies — dual-area selective deposition — lets engineers control growth in two different regions at the same time. To make this process more reliable, he also uses in-situ diagnostics, monitoring the film as it forms so he can control how the material grows and ensure the interfaces between layers are high quality. Learn more.
Yiqing Wang
Yiqing Wang studies how hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engines work and builds computer models to help design them. Using advanced computational fluid dynamics simulations, he models how hydrogen ignites, how flames spread inside the engine and how these processes affect emissions and efficiency. To build accurate models, he starts with extremely detailed simulations using a scientific code called Nek5000. These high-resolution simulations capture the physics of combustion in great detail. He then translates those insights into simpler models that engineers can use more easily when designing real engines. Learn more.
Wenhua Zuo
Wenhua Zuo studies how to design better cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries, which could offer a lower-cost alternative to lithium-ion batteries. To understand how these materials behave, he combines advanced X-ray measurements at synchrotron facilities with computer models of thermodynamics. The X-ray techniques allow scientists to watch what happens inside battery materials while the battery is operating, revealing how their structure changes during charging and discharging. His work also explores strategies to make these cathode materials more stable and longer-lasting. The goal is to develop clear design rules that link a material’s chemical composition and microscopic structure to how well it performs in a battery. Learn more.