Overview
Personal Profile
Nelson James joined NLR's Building Energy Science group in 2020. His work focuses on the advancement of thermal energy storage systems and high efficiency grid-interactive HVAC technologies.
Before joining NLR, James was an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office, supporting the Emerging Technologies Program. There he focused on advancing the Office’s research efforts on thermal energy storage, grid-interactive efficient buildings, and energy resilience in buildings. His Ph.D. research focused on not-in-kind heat pumping technologies, where he developed novel systems employing electrochemical processes in thermal cycles. He has expertise in the computational and experimental design and analysis of thermal systems and components for building applications.
Research Interests
Design of thermal systems
Thermal energy storage materials and systems
Thermal and moisture management in buildings
Decarbonization in the built environment
Education/Academic Qualification
PhD, Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University
Master, Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University
Bachelor, Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University
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Collaborations and Top Research Areas From the Past 5 Years
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A Critical Review of Electrochemical Heat Pump Technologies: Status, Challenges, and Perspectives: Article No. 129232
Zhu, M., Pergantis, E., Kim, J., Dai, C., James, N., Oh, J., Baby, A., Rodriguez-Lopez, J., Groll, E., Braun, J. & Ziviani, D., 2026, In: Applied Thermal Engineering. 286, 22 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Dehumidification Energy Storage Using a Stratified Liquid Desiccant Tank: Article No. 118057
James, N., Kozubal, E., Esmaeilirad, M., Kienitz, B. & Woods, J., 2025, In: Journal of Energy Storage. 133, 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
1 Scopus Citations -
Dual-Functional Thermocapacitive Heat Pump with Electrochemical Supercapacitors for Building Thermal Management and Energy Storage: Article No. 100895
James, N., Kim, J., Ozdogru, B. & Finegan, D., 2025, In: Device. 3, 12, 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2 Scopus Citations -
Investigation of Ventilation-Coupled High Energy Density Sensible Thermal Energy Storage: Article No. 125576
James, N., Huang, R., Woods, J. & Kozubal, E., 2025, In: Applied Energy. 387, 18 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
6 Scopus Citations -
Evaluation of Phase Change Thermal Storage in a Cascade Heat Pump: Article No. 122654
Huang, R., Mahvi, A., James, N., Kozubal, E. & Woods, J., 2024, In: Applied Energy. 359, 22 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
15 Scopus Citations