Dr. Goodenough led the way for the extraordinary growth in portable electronic devices that continues today, following the invention of the lithium-ion battery in 1980.
Currently the Virginia H. Cockrell Centennial Chair in Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Goodenough’s lithium-ion, rechargeable battery powers nearly every modern mobile device, as well as electric cars. The battery also solved a major environmental problem, removing harmful components, such as cadmium, found in earlier generations of batteries. In 2017, Dr. Goodenough and his team made international headlines with the announcement they had filed a patent for new technology that will allow for safer and less expensive batteries. Upon accepting the award, Dr. Goodenough received $500,000.