National Inventors Hall of Fame Film Crew Captures Esther Takeuchi’s Legacy

Stony Brook University welcomed a film crew from the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) this week as they documented the extraordinary life and work of SUNY Distinguished Professor and William and Jane Knapp Chair in Energy and the Environment, Esther Takeuchi.

The two-day shoot, held June 11 through 12, is part of NIHF mini-documentary series that highlights the stories behind some of the world’s most influential inventors.

Takeuchi, inducted into the NIHF in 2011, is one of the most prolific women inventors in the United States, with more than 150 U.S. patents to her name. Her work in electrochemistry and battery technology has powered advances in both medicine and clean energy, most notably with her invention of the lithium/silver vanadium oxide battery that made implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) possible. These life-saving devices have since become a standard treatment, helping prevent sudden cardiac death in millions of patients worldwide.

The NIHF crew followed Takeuchi across the Stony Brook campus and to Brookhaven National Laboratory, where she is a joint appointee and chairs the Interdisciplinary Science Department. In interviews, she reflected on her career, as well as her personal journey — one that began in Latvia, where her family fled as political refugees during World War II before settling in the United States.

Takeuchi credits much of her success to the support and collaboration of her husband, Ken Takeuchi, distinguished teaching professor in the Department of Chemistry at Stony Brook. The pair met as graduate students at The Ohio State University.

Now in development, the mini-documentary is slated to premiere on invent.org this September and will run 10 to 15 minutes. It is part of a broader NIHF effort to celebrate the human stories behind transformative technologies. The organization, founded in 1973, recognizes U.S. patent holders whose work has significantly advanced society.

From implantable drug delivery systems to her current focus on scalable energy solutions, Takeuchi has spent decades solving complex problems that impact human health and global sustainability. 

Takeuchi is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering, and a fellow of several professional societies. In 2008, she received the U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the nation’s highest honor for technological achievement.

— Beth Squire