School of Energy Science and Engineering (ESE) focuses on the research areas that address the energy and environment issues. The following are the five main research areas being conducted at ESE, i.e., (1) Electrochemical energy storage and conversion, (2) Sustainable production of high value-added chemicals and fuels from renewable resources using heterogeneous catalysts and electrocatalysts, (3) Nanomaterial design, green process, and applications, (4) MOFs (metal-organic frameworks) synthesis, properties, and applications, and (5) Industrial and pharmaceutical crystallization. During the last five years, ESE has produced many important and successful research outputs; including innovative energy storage technologies; processes to transform bio-ethanol, bio-methanol, and lignin-derived compounds into high value-added chemicals, such as ethylene, propylene, and aromatics; development of highly selective heterogeneous electrocatalysts for productions of chiral compounds from renewable resources; synthesis and production of heterogeneous catalysis, adsorbents, colorant, and light emitting materials, smart materials, and biohybrids for energy and environment applications; structural prediction and dynamic property of MOFs; and finally enhanced yield and purification of drug molecules using temperature-cycle induced deracemization. 

                More importantly, these research findings from ESE have high potential to be applied in the following industrial fields; Petrochemical industry: to upgrade a low-cost petroleum feedstock to high value-added fine chemicals; Fine chemical industry: to increase values of renewable and abundant natural resources by turning them into high value-added fine chemicals using green processes; Pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries: to efficiently produce chiral compounds, main components in pharmaceutical and cosmetic productions, with high purity; Innovative energy storage and conversion industry from advanced carbon-based supercapacitors, hybrid Li- and Na-capacitors, advanced lithium ion batteries, and Li-S battery; and Pharmaceutical industry. 

                Since the establishment of VISTEC in 2015, ESE always aims to establish the frontier and top research groups in relevant areas stated above. Over 6 years, based on the number of published papers, ESE research groups are ranked among the tops in Thailand and Southeast Asia in many research topics such as supercapacitors, batteries, graphene, heterogeneous catalysts, nanoclays for which our faculty members have received many national awards. ESE is also a major contributor in term of publishing several nature index papers, many selected to appear on the front cover, supporting the VISTEC’s goal/policy (Top 12 of young universities under 30 in the world). In addition, ESE faculty members have filed over 60 Thai and PCT patents. Furthermore, with support from Ministry of Energy and PTT, Center of Excellence for Energy Storage Technology (CEST), https://www.cestvistec.com/,  has been established to produce innovative energy storage technologies for many applications such as short-range mobilities (eScooter, eBicycle, eMotobike, and eTukTuk) and long-range electric vehicles (EVs). CEST has launched the first battery and supercapacitor products with the trademark namely VIS123D, https://www.vis123d.com/, legally produced by VISTEC’s spinoff company. In terms of research funding, we have raised over 300 million THB for VISTEC from both government and private sectors. For the innovative prototypes, we have produced many advanced technologies such as graphene-based supercapacitors, hybrid Li- and Na-capacitors, advanced lithium-ion batteries, and Li-S batteries.