Berkeley, Calif. — Yu Huang, a Faculty Scientist in the Chemical Sciences Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBL) and a professor at UCLA, has been awarded the 2025 Global Energy Prize. Presented annually by the Global Energy Association, the prize honors outstanding contributions to energy science and technology worldwide.

Huang was recognized for her “innovations in the field of catalyst development, which significantly improve the profitability, durability, and performance of fuel cells.”

She is the first woman to win in the non-conventional energy category since the prize’s inception in 2003. Huang is also the third LBL affiliate to receive this prestigious honor, following Art Rosenfeld (2011) and Peidong Yang (2020).

At UCLA, Huang holds the Traugott and Dorothea Frederking Chair and leads the Huang Research Group which investigates nanoscale phenomena to address critical challenges in catalysis, energy technologies, and quantum electronics.

Among her numerous national and international honors, Huang has received the Eni Energy Transition Award, the International Society of Electrochemistry Prize for Experimental Electrochemistry, the International Precious Metal Institute Carol Tyler Award and the National Science Foundation Special Creativity Award. She is a NAS Kalvi Fellow, and fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Materials Research Society.