RALEIGH, N.C.– The Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) has named Professor Veronica Augustyn as the Jake and Jennifer Hooks Distinguished Professor, effective August 1, 2025.
Research in Prof. Augustyn’s group focuses on the electrochemistry of materials from fundamentals to applications in energy, environment, optics and electronics. Recent topics include understanding the electric double layer, ion-insertion coupled electron transfer, and nanoconfinement effects at electrochemical interfaces, particularly those involving transition metal oxides. Her research often combines materials synthesis with operando and in situ electrochemical techniques to understand electrochemical mechanisms. At NC State, she is the co-chair of the NC State College of Engineering Battery and Energy Storage Initiative and is the faculty advisor of two student organizations, the SciBridge Project and the NC State Electrochemical Society Student Chapter. She supports the materials electrochemistry community as a Scientific Editor of the Journal of Materials Chemistry A, serves on the editorial advisory boards of several journals, including ACS Energy Letters, ACS Electrochemistry, and Physical Review Materials and is a Member-at-Large of the Electrochemical Society Battery Division.
About Jake and Jennifer Hooks
Jake Hooks received his B.S. in materials science and engineering in 1978. He is the retired president of Automotive North America, Eaton Corporation, and a former member of the Board of Directors of Nittan Valve Co., Ltd.
Hooks currently serves on the board of the NC State University Foundation, Inc. He previously served on the NC State Engineering Foundation, Inc. as Development Chair and he also served on the Park Scholars Selection Committee.
Hooks is a recipient of the 2024 Watauga Medal, the 2015 MSE Hall of Fame award and the 2019 Distinguished Alumnus award.
In 2022, Hooks and his wife, Jennifer, established the Jake and Jennifer Hooks Distinguished Scholar award, a title presented to Augustyn in 2022. In 2013, the Hooks also established the Jacob T. Hooks, Sr. Scholarship in Materials Science and Engineering in honor of his father, who also studied at NC State. They are generous benefactors of the MSE department and have contributed to the record-breaking Day of Giving contributions each year. Wolfpack Club members, part of the Fitts-Woolard Hall Cornerstone Society. Hooks is a lifetime member of the Alumni Association, a member of the R.S. Pullen Society and a member of the W.C. Riddick Society.
In addition to all of their support above, Jake and Jennifer named the third-floor atrium in Engineering Building I and also named the Dean’s Suite in Fitts-Woolard Hall.
The professorship was established in 2025 as a partnership with the Hooks and MSE faculty and development officers in the NC State College of Engineering, including Sara Seltzer, a former MSE development officer. If you would like to learn more about giving to the department, please contact the Director of Philanthropy, Maggie Musick.