Chemical and biomolecular engineering assistant professors Alexander V. Mironenko and Theresa Schoetz have been named recipients of the 2026 Emerging Innovator Award, as part of Founders Week at the University of Illinois.
The Emerging Innovator Award recognizes faculty members who submitted an invention disclosure to the University’s Office of Technology Management for the first time during the preceding year.
As members of this year's class of Emerging Innovators, Mironenko and Schoetz will be recognized during the Founders Showcase Evening Session on Friday, October 2, 2026.
Mironenko joined the department in August 2020. His research focuses on developing theory-driven quantum mechanical methods to lower the cost of structure and chemical reactivity predictions of molecules and materials.
The award specifically recognizes his recent patent disclosure for a novel computational pipeline utilizing Nonempirical Tight-Binding (NTB) theory, first introduced by the Mironenko group. While highly accurate quantum mechanical calculations are essential across scientific disciplines, traditional methods are notoriously slow and computationally expensive, often creating a bottleneck in modern research and development pipelines. Mironenko’s invention overcomes these hardware limitations by fundamentally altering how molecular potential energy surfaces and electronic properties are computed.
Schoetz joined the department in October 2023. Her research is centered on the development of electrochemical materials and interfaces for next-generation batteries and supercapacitors that can be integrated in modern electronics.
The award celebrates her recent invention, which combines silicon solar cells and a rechargeable aluminum-graphite battery in a single device that captures sunlight and stores its energy for later use. The solar cell and battery share one and the same electrode, directly linking energy conversion and storage. Four solar cells connected in series generate approximately 2.4 Volts to charge the battery, which stores energy through electrochemical reactions involving aluminum and graphite in an ionic liquid–based polymer electrolyte. This integrated design removes the need for intermediate power converters and reduces external wiring, simplifying the system, and potentially reducing energy losses.
Founders Week is intended to bring together the many people who contribute to Illinois’ culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. Now in its third year, the annual event brings together the university's extended ecosystem to celebrate collective successes and build what's next.