Melissa Sui-hui Louie

Biography

I am an early-career chemical engineer working in risk and reliability for hydrogen storage and dispensing systems. My previous and current projects include quantitative risk assessment for hydrogen locomotive refueling stations, subsurface hydrogen storage, and cascading failures in large-scale hydrogen storage systems. I work closely with safety codes and standards in the hydrogen regulatory space.

Projects during my graduate studies included material evaluations of wind turbine blades. As a graduate intern with Sandia, I studied the possibility of using hollow carbon fibers in spar caps to optimize cost-specific compressive strength. My MEng project at Cornell was focused on determining whether curtailment of wind turbines during heavy precipitation events could reduce leading edge erosion and improve blade lifetime.

At Sandia, I volunteer for educational and science-focused events for elementary through high school students through the Sandia Women’s Action Network outreach team. I also support the Asian workforce and promote belonging and inclusion within Sandia as part of the Asian Leadership and Outreach Committee board. I am part of the Future of Research for Climate, Earth, and Energy (FORCEE) intern institute committee; I act as a resource for onsite student interns.

Education

BSc, Chemical Engineering, 2022 (Cornell University)
MEng, Chemical Engineering, 2022 (Cornell University)

Posters and Talks

Oral presenter for Subsurface Hydrogen Assessment, Storage, and Technology Acceleration (SHASTA) Technical Workshop, April 2024. Risk Assessment Frameworks for Underground Hydrogen Storage Facility Leaks.

Selected early career poster presenter for Clean Energy, Education, & Empowerment (C3E) Initiative Symposium, September 2023. Quantifying Risk of Cascading Failures in Large-Scale H2 Storage Systems.