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Ali Abouimrane, PhD, Senior Scientist, Electrification & Energy Infrastructures, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Dr. Ali Abouimrane is a Senior Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory with over 25 years’ experience in rechargeable batteries and materials. Before joining ORNL, Dr. Ali Abouimrane was Sparkz inc. VP of Technology from 2021 to 2022. From 2015 to 2020, Dr. Abouimrane was a Principal Scientist at Qatar Foundation and from 2008 to 2015 a Materials Scientist at Argonne National Laboratory. Dr. Ali Abouimrane published more than 80 peer-reviewed journal papers, 15 granted patents and around 15 patent applications in the areas of Energy Storage. Dr. Abouimrane received numerous awards, including best NRC-Canada employee award and R&D 100 awards.
Daniel Abraham, PhD, Senior Materials Scientist, Argonne National Laboratory
Dr. Daniel Abraham conducts research on lithium batteries used in electric vehicles, consumer electronics, and grid energy storage. He has authored over 185 articles in peer-reviewed journals and delivered over 360 technical presentations in popular, academic, and industrial settings. His work enables the development of materials and components that enhance battery performance, life, and safety. Dr. Abraham is also a research advisor and mentor to various undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral associates, and junior scientists. He has received awards for “exceptional work in developing the next generation of scientists and engineers.”
Louis Adriaenssens, PhD, CTO, Gelion Technologies
20 years at leading universities and research institutes across Europe focused on R&D in small-molecule and materials synthesis/characterization/application. Commercial experience with start-ups through to sector leaders, including for Panasonic at the Tesla Gigafactory in Nevada and now with Gelion in Sydney.
Varnika Agarwal, Research Analyst, Rho Motion
Varnika is a Battery Research Analyst at Rho Motion where her primary focus is on the technical side of electric vehicle, energy stationary storage and battery market analysis. Rho Motion, a Benchmark Intelligence Company is headquartered in London.
Shunsuke Amagai, Founder & Co-CEO, Beff
Shunsuke Amagai, Co-CEO of Beff, has 15 years of experience in lithium-ion battery R&D and manufacturing in the automotive industry. He joined Nissan Motor Corporation where he was involved in the development and manufacturing of electric vehicle batteries. After that, he transitioned to Mercedes-Benz Group, taking charge of the advanced and mass production development from cells to battery packs. Subsequently, he led the establishment of strategic partnership agreements between Mercedes-Benz and lithium-ion battery manufacturer.
Matt Anders, Founder & Lead Recruiter, VoltForce
With 7+ years dedicated to the battery ecosystem, hydrogen, biofuels, EVs, and energy storage, I've developed a deep understanding of the talent landscape in this dynamic industry. As the sole author of the industry's first Battery Talent Salary Survey and Program Director of Battery Workforce Development at the Volta Foundation, I've been at the forefront of addressing the critical talent gap. My expertise spans the entire spectrum of recruitment, from executive search and niche placements to high-volume projects. I've successfully partnered with both established cleantech giants and promising startups to build world-class teams. I'm committed to delivering exceptional results through quality, long-lasting client partnerships, ethical practices, efficient services, quick delivery, and creative solutions.
Rob Anstey, CEO, GDI
Mr. Anstey is the CEO/Founder of GDI. He has over a decade of experience as an entrepreneur, globally commercializing technologies in energy storage and advanced materials. He is a co-inventor on >15 patent filings, and 7 issued patents. He works on technologies that fight climate change, and focuses on the intersection between manufacturing, strategy, and business development. Mr. Anstey is a proponent of open innovation and accelerating technology development through partnerships.
Mohammad Asadi, PhD, Assistant Professor, Illinois Institute of Technology
Dr. Asadi joined the Chemical Engineering Department at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) as Assistant Professor in 2017. Asadi completed his PhD in Mechanical Engineering at UIC and received his Master of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering from Sharif University of Technology. He spent seven years of working experience in the oil and gas industry before joining UIC. He has authored and co-authored 25 peer-reviewed publications in journals such as Science, Nature, Advanced Materials, Advanced Energy Materials, ACS Nano, and Nature Communications, and has 13 US patents and four patent applications. He has more than 5000 citations (h-index 20) in the area of advanced functional materials, catalysis science, electrochemical energy storage, and energy conversion systems.
Brian Barnett, PhD, CTO, Nyobolt
Dr. Brian Barnett serves as CTO for Nyobolt and leads the company's US operations. Dr. Barnett has extensive experience in development and commercialization of battery technology. He is recognized as both a technical and industry expert related to batteries and an expert in battery safety and has directed a series of successful lab-based, highly multidisciplinary battery technology development programs that resulted in technology licensing, spin-off or sale.
Sergio Baron, CEO, Dynami Battery
Mr. Sergio Baron is the founder and CEO of Dynami Battery Corp. Co-inventor of USPTO patent 11476540. With 15 years in nanotechnology and microfabrication of lithium-ion batteries, 20 years in microelectronics and micro-electro mechanical devices, a serial entrepreneur, Sergio obtained the Fulbright Scholarship for his MSc in EE from University of Maryland.
Christoph Baum, PhD, Program Manager, Battery Research, Fraunhofer USA
Dr.-Ing. Christoph Baum is a seasoned leader in production technology with deep expertise in precision engineering, automation, and digital manufacturing. He currently serves as Program Director for Battery Research at Fraunhofer USA, where he leads the strategic development of transatlantic research initiatives in energy storage and advanced manufacturing. Previously, Christoph held senior leadership roles at the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT and played a central role in the conception and development of the Fraunhofer Research Facility for Battery Cell Production (FFB), Europe’s largest research infrastructure for battery manufacturing. He was instrumental in shaping the FFB’s strategic and technological direction, with a focus on digitalization and scalable production systems. Christoph holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from RWTH Aachen University, where he graduated with distinction. His academic background includes international studies at Tsinghua University in Beijing and extensive research experience across Europe and Asia. He is co-founder and Managing Director of polyscale GmbH & Co. KG, a company specializing in high-precision polymer manufacturing, and co-founder of MANUGY GmbH, which develops advanced machinery for battery cell production. Combining strong technical capabilities with a strategic and entrepreneurial mindset, Christoph has led numerous large-scale national and European research projects and is the author of numerous scientific publications and patents. His work is dedicated to translating cutting-edge research into industrial practice, driving innovation in the fields of energy, mobility, and manufacturing, and building effective bridges between academia, industry, and policy.
Lukasz Bednarski, Principal Analyst, S&P Global
Lukasz Bednarski is an associate director at IHS Markit. He covers battery materials market with particular focus on lithium, graphite, manganese, cathodes, and anodes materials. Lukasz has worked in the commodity sector spanning physical trading, training, product management, and research. Prior to joining, his interest in battery materials led to the development of an independent industry portal covering the sector. In addition to his degree in economics and business administration from Aalborg University, Lukasz has studied financial topics in China, Russia, Germany, and Liechtenstein. He is the author of popular non-fiction book "Lithium: The Global Race for Battery Dominance and the New Energy Revolution.”
Ilias Belharouak, PhD, Section Head, Electrification and Energy Infrastructure Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Dr. Ilias Belharouak is a Distinguished Scientist and the Leader of the Battery Roll-to-Roll Manufacturing Group in the Energy and Transportation Sciences Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Tennessee. Dr. Belharouak also serves as a Professor of the Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. Before joining ORNL, he was a Research Director and the Founding Chief Scientist of the Electrochemical Energy Storage Center in Qatar Foundation. He was a Material Scientist and Battery Expert in the Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Illinois. Dr. Belharouak is currently an Editor of the Elsevier’s Journal of Power Sources. He was recognized with several awards including R&D-100 innovation awards and topical society awards. Dr. Belharouak authored more than 150 peer-reviewed papers, 30 US Patents and Applications, 5 books, and holds an h-index of 55.
Kimberly Berman, Independent Consultant, Pivot Research
Kimberly is an independent consultant specializing in energy transition materials and related commodities working with firms such as Avicenne, Positive Materials and the World Bank Group. She has researched, written/co-written, and published numerous major papers and reports on lithium-ion and next-gen battery technologies, alternative fuels, electric vehicles, stationary power storage and the de-globalisation of battery supply chains. Previously, she worked at BMO Capital Markets and developed the firm’s proprietary industry knowledge around energy transition technologies.
Chris Berry, Founder & President, House Mountain Partners
House Mountain Partners, LLC (www.discoveryinvesting.com) was founded by Chris Berry in 2010 help investors, businesses, academia, and government interpret and understand the major changes underway in the global energy system. His focus is on how the battery metals supply chain can adapt to help meet the twin challenges of electrification and decarbonization. Based in Washington DC, Chris is an independent analyst with a focus on battery metals supply chains including lithium, cobalt, graphite, nickel, copper, vanadium, and rare earths. His work supports a roster of global clients across multiple industries. His advisory work has a specific focus on how battery metals supply chains are evolving to create opportunities and threats during the energy transition in the coming decades. Aside from traditional supply, demand and pricing analysis, his recent work has focused recycling, alternative extraction technologies, and how battery metals will play an increasingly strategic role in geopolitical and supply chain realignment. Before shifting focus to analysis of these trends in 2010, Chris gained twelve years of capital markets experience in New York City. He has visited and performed economic analysis of metals deposits on six continents and has been featured in multiple media outlets including the Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, NPR, the South China Morning Post and CNN International. Chris holds a Master of Business Administration in Finance with an international focus from Fordham University, and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from The Virginia Military Institute.
Julian Bigi, PhD, Senior Battery Technology Engineer, Battery Engineering, BMW Group
Julian Bigi is a Senior Battery Technology Engineer for BMW of North America. For BMW he scouts battery technologies for integration into future BMW electric vehicles. Prior to joining BMW, Julian spent 11 years working as a materials scientist at battery and display start-up companies in Silicon Valley. Julian holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.
Eula Billaut, Project Engineer, Energy Storage & Distributed Generation Program, Electric Power Research Institute
Eula Billaut is a Project Engineer at EPRI with a background in Chemical Engineering from UC Berkeley. Her work centers on BESS safety and emerging energy storage technologies, and supports the deployment of safe, reliable, affordable, and environmentally responsible energy storage across the grid.
John Boesel, President & CEO, CALSTART Inc.
John Boesel is the President and Chief Executive Officer of CALSTART. The public/private nature of CALSTART is reflected in John’s background. Upon graduating from the University of California, Davis, in 1982, John worked in the California legislature as a legislative aide to then Assemblyman (now Congressman) Sam Farr. In that position he managed energy and environmental legislation for nearly four years. He received his MBA from the Haas School at UC Berkeley in 1989. After graduating from business school he worked as a commercial banker in Wells Fargo’s Corporate Headquarters building in San Francisco. In 1993 John joined CALSTART as the Vice President of Technology Programs. In 2001 the Board of Directors promoted him to the position of President and CEO. John serves on the Advisory Board for the Precourt Energy Efficiency Center (PEEC) at Stanford University and is also a board member of the Clean Vehicle Foundation.
Stephen E. Burkhardt, PhD, CTO, R&D, Conamix Inc.
Stephen Burkhardt is the Chief Technology Officer at Conamix. Stephen has been researching Li-S chemistry for 6 years with Conamix, starting as Director of R&D in 2018. Stephen has over 15 years in electrochemical energy storage R&D with past roles at General Electric and DuPont. His industrial research experiences cover a broad range of topics in energy storage including electrolyte design for Li-ion batteries, high temperature batteries and solid electrolytes, and packaging and thermal management materials for traction batteries. He is an inventor on >40 granted and pending patent families related to technologies for Li-based batteries and has commercialization experience for global products. He earned his Ph.D. in electrochemistry from Cornell University studying under Prof. Héctor Abruña.
Benjamin Campbell, Manager, Battery Research, E Source
Ben Campbell leads battery research at E Source. Ben's expertise in battery technology and market dynamics helps organizations across the global battery value chain navigate the rapidly evolving energy storage sector. His analysis spans the full battery landscape-analyzing advancements in materials, manufacturing, and the supply chain while translating technical developments into practical insights for utilities and energy companies. Ben is a codeveloper of an industry-leading battery cost model used by OEMs and investors across the world, and forecasts markets for electric vehicle batteries and charging infrastructure. Previously Ben was the Mobility Analyst at Cairn Energy Research Advisors (ERA), which E Source acquired in October 2021. He is based in Boulder, Colorado.
Colin Campbell, CTO, Redwood Materials
Colin Campbell leads Redwood’s technology and product development as CTO. Colin joined after 17 years at Tesla as VP of Powertrain Engineering where he was responsible for the electrical, mechanical, and manufacturing engineering of high power electronics, as well as motors, gearboxes, battery packs, and charging systems across both the vehicle and energy businesses. Colin earned his BS in Physics and MS in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.
Cameron Chase, Director, Business Development, Systems Engineering, NXP Semiconductors
Cameron Chase is a Technical Director at NXP Semiconductors focusing on Electrification Systems Engineering for Automotive and Industrial applications. Cameron partners with industry peers, customers, and colleagues to lead technical innovation across NXP Semiconductors for the industry. He focuses on optimizing battery management systems, leveraging NXP's best-in-class battery cell controller technology. NXP believes in responsible innovation for a brighter future, advancing towards a more sustainable world.
Roland Chavasse, Secretary General & Co-Founder, International Lithium Association
Roland Chavasse MBA is the Secretary General of the International Lithium Association (ILiA), the global industry body representing the lithium value chain, which he co-founded with Anand Sheth in 2021. Roland has a wealth of experience with rare and critical elements, including a decade of commercial experience working with tantalum, rhenium, cobalt, niobium and nickel-based superalloys. Since 2016 he has specialized in proactive metals association management, hosting conferences on four continents, managing responsible sourcing programs, editing trade journals and advocating for members’ interests. He has previously lead the Tantalum-Niobium International Study Center (T.I.C.) and the Minor Metals Trade Association (MMTA). He is based in London, UK.
Halle Cheeseman, PhD, Program Director, ARPA-E
Dr. Halle Cheeseman has been working in the battery business for 35 years. From the growth of Alkaline in Europe in the 1980’s, to the emergence of Lithium Ion in the 1990s, to the avalanche of interest in all Electrochemical storage systems that has dominated the first two decades of this century. After senior leadership positions in the battery industry, Dr. Cheeseman is now a Program Director for the Advanced Research Program Agency for the US Department of Energy (ARPA-E) and is based in Washington DC.Dr. Halle Cheeseman has a BSc with honors and a PhD in Chemistry & Materials Science from the University of Nottingham.
Thomas Clark, PhD, Research Scientist, DuPont
Tom is responsible for the development of battery thermal management solutions for EV. In his 15-year career with DuPont, he has developed materials and solutions across a broad range of industries including automotive, packaging, industrial coatings, consumer care, and agrosciences. He is an inventor of 34 US patents and has authored 11 peer reviewed publications. Tom received his PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin Madison and completed two years of postdoctoral research at MIT.
Anna Cobb, PhD Candidate, Engineering & Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University
Anna is a fourth year PhD student in the Engineering and Public Policy Department at Carnegie Mellon University, advised by Dr. Jeremy Michalek. During her PhD, she has worked on a number of projects related to trends in automotive technology, including ridesharing and electrification. She has a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech and has interned at companies across the energy industry, including Solar Turbines and TerraPower.
Tom Croteau, Senior Managing Director, Maxis Advisors
Tom Croteau has been the Senior Managing Director at Maxis Advisors since 2019. Before joining Maxis, Tom served as Deputy Commissioner of Global Commerce for the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDECD). In his 25+ years in the public sector, Tom led his teams to more than 1,700 successfully located or expanded company projects, with over $23 billion in investment and 127,000 new jobs created. Tom's notable projects include 6K's recent full-scale manufacturing facility site search, Mercedes-Benz USA headquarters relocation, a national Honeywell Innovation Center, Facebook data center, and SK Innovation’s multi-billion dollar U.S. EV battery manufacturing operation. Tom holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Florida State University and has extensive experience in economic development at the state, local and electric utility levels prior to joining the private sector. At Maxis, Tom focuses on business development, site selection and incentives negotiation, specializing in the Southeastern U.S. region and serving clients nationwide. Outside of work, Tom enjoys RVing, hiking, fishing and spending time with his wife, 3 children and 2 dogs in the outdoors.
Eric Darcy, PhD, Battery Technical Discipline Lead, Power Systems, NASA Johnson Space Center
Eric C. Darcy, PhD, has spent his 36-year career at NASA in the areas of battery design, verification, and safety assessments for the rigors of manned spacecraft applications. As Battery Technical Discipline Lead at NASA-JSC, his main objective has been the development of safe, while high-performing, battery systems with a deep focus on understanding, preventing, and mitigating latent defects that could lead to catastrophic cell internal short circuits.
Neil Dasgupta, PhD, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan
Neil Dasgupta is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Michigan. He earned his Ph.D. from Stanford University in 2011. Prior to joining University of Michigan in 2014, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the recipient of the NSF CAREER Award, the DARPA Young Faculty Award (YFA), the AFOSR Young Investigator Award (YIP), the 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award, the ECS Toyota Young Investigator Fellowship, and the AVS Paul Holloway Young Investigator Award. His research focuses on the intersection of materials chemistry, energy conversion, and manufacturing.
Shmuel De-Leon, CEO, Shmuel De-Leon Energy Ltd.
Shmuel De-Leon, Founder and CEO of Shmuel De-Leon Energy Ltd., is a leading international expert in the business of energy storage. Prior to founding the company, for over 21 years, Shmuel held various positions as an energy storage, electronic engineering, and quality control team manager. Shmuel holds a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from Tel Aviv University, and an M.B.A. in Quality Control and Reliability Engineering from the Technion Institute in Haifa, as well as an Electronic Technician's diploma.
Mykela DeLuca, Product Manager, Micantis
Mykela DeLuca is a Data Scientist and Product Manager at Micantis, a battery data analytics platform that helps manufacturers and researchers turn raw cycling data into predictive insights. At Micantis, she works closely with customers to develop cycle life prediction models across a range of lithium-ion chemistries, supporting faster, data-driven decisions in materials development, performance optimization, and cell qualification.
Adam Dendrinos, Senior Product Manager, Battery, AVL List GmbH
Adam Dendrinos is the Sr. Product Manager for Battery at AVL HQ in Graz Austria. In this position, he leads the global business development and strategy for battery system advancement within AVL. Adam joined the company at the US branch in February of 2021 to promote innovation of emobility powertrain components with an emphasis on battery. Adam transferred to Graz for his current role starting in 2024 for a deeper focus on business development of battery systems in all markets supported by AVL. Including his present role, Adam has over 25 years of battery and electrification practice. This experience includes leadership positions overseeing multidisciplinary and complex product execution within the emobility and electrification industries. Mr. Dendrinos earned his B.S. in Electrical Engineering Technology from Lawrence Technological University and his M.S. in Engineering Management from Oakland University.
Matt Denlinger, Battery Research Engineer, Energy Storage Research, Ford Motor Company
Matt Denlinger is a research engineer at Ford Motor Company’s recently announced Ford Ion Park. He has been working in Lithium-ion battery research since 2009, including 12 years at Ford. During this time, he has focused on battery materials development, safety characterization, and cell design. His current role is centralized on the evaluation and development of next-generation cell technologies for full electric vehicles. Matt also serves as the Technical Advisory Committee Lead for Ford within the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC).
Hieu Duong, PhD, Chief Manufacturing Officer, AM Batteries
Hieu led the development of Dry Battery Electrode (DBE) manufacturing process at Maxwell Technologies beginning in 2011. He served as the Director of Electrode Engineering at Tesla for 4 years after its acquisition in 2019, driving scaling efforts leading to the commercialization of DBE. Currently, he is the Chief Manufacturing Officer at AM Batteries leading the development and commercialization of Powder-to-Electrode coating process and equipment for low-cost lithium-ion battery manufacturing.
Ulrich Ehmes, PhD, CTO, Theion
2022 to today CEO of theion GmbH, Berlin, Germany 2016 to today CEO of SETA Consulting GmbH, Schaffhausen, Switzerland 2010 to 2014 CEO/COO of Leclanché SA, Yverdon les Bains, Switzerland 2008 to 2009 VP Production Nonwovens, Groz-Beckert KG, Albstadt, Germany 1993 to 2007 MD Leica Aparelhos Ópticos de Precisão SA, V.N. Famalicão, Portugal, and Head BU Sportoptics, Leica Camera AG, Solms, Germany 1999 MBA at IEDE, Spain 1993 PHD in Electronics, TU Darmstadt, Germany
Asmae El Mejdoubi, PhD, Chief Product Officer, TIAMAT
After the engineering school, Asmae El Mejdoubi did her PhD in electrical engineering from 2012 to 2015. She continued her research on the SoC and the SoH diagnosis and prognosis models for Lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors, to join TIAMAT in September 2018. Since 2020, Dr. El Mejdoubi is leading the product department, improving and optimizing the TIAMAT sodium-ion products to solve customers' problems and create customer delight.
Hosam K. Fathy, PhD, Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland College Park
Hosam K. Fathy is currently a Mechanical Engineering Professor at The University of Maryland, College Park, where he conducts research on the optimal control of energy systems, with a focus on battery management systems.
Alejandro Franco, PhD, Professor, Reactivity & Chemistry of Solids Lab, University of Picardie Jules Verne
Professor Alejandro A. Franco is Full Professor at the Université de Picardie Jules Verne (Amiens, France). He is also Honorary Member of the Institut Universitaire de France and the leader of the Theory Open Platform at the ALISTORE European Research Institute. He won an ERC consolidator grant for his project ARTISTIC on the digitalization of battery manufacturing processes based on multiscale modeling and artificial intelligence. He also won an ERC Proof of Concept grant for his project SMARTISTIC on the assistance of battery manufacturers using digital technologies. He is/was involved in multiple projects dealing with the use of digitalization to assist battery R&D (e.g. EU PULSELION, EU BIG MAP, EU HELIS, EU POROUS4APP, and bilateral projects between Professor Franco's group and industry). He is the Chairman of the Expert Group “Digitalization, Measurement Methods and Quality” in the LiPLANET battery manufacturing network and he won the French Prize for Pedagogy Innovation 2019 for his use of virtual reality to teach battery sciences. He is the author of more than 140 scientific articles and of more than 120 invited lectures in international conferences.
Aki Fujita, Principal, Arthur D. Little
Advised clients on both short- and long-term growth strategy while bridge-making between Asian-USA/European companies as a management consultant for 20 years. Expertise Area: Business strategy, Transformation, Cross border M&A, Business Due Diligence, Alliance advisory & PMI (Post Merger Integration). Industries: Chemical / materials and automotive / auto-parts / aerospace industries including lithium-ion battery and electric vehicle.
Linda Gaines, PhD, Transportation Systems Analyst, Energy Systems, Argonne National Laboratory
Linda Gaines is a Systems Analyst in the Energy Systems and Infrastructure Analysis Division at Argonne National Laboratory. She holds a BA in Chemistry and Physics from Harvard, and a Ph.D. in Physics from Columbia. Her primary interest is problem solving, applied to efficient use of resources. She began her career at Argonne by writing a series of handbooks of energy and material flows in energy-intensive industries that provided background for studies of technical and institutional issues involved in producing and recycling advanced-design automobiles, trucks, and trains, and batteries. Her most recent work has involved studying ways to reduce impacts from transport by recycling of lithium-ion batteries. She is an editor of the journal Sustainable Materials and Technologies and on the Editorial Board of Scientific Reports (a Nature journal).
Katharina Gerber, PhD, Engagement Manager for Battery Industry, Siemens DISW
Katharina has 15+ years of experience in the battery industry ranging from the direct lithium extraction to dry battery electrode process. Her mission is to bring value to a wide range of battery companies. In addition to her role at Siemens, Katharina is a Vice President of NAATBAtt International and a Co-chair of the “Electrode Materials Committee” at NAATBatt. Katharina holds a doctorate degree in Battery Materials from the University of Bonn, Germany.
John Glassmire, Business Development, Hitachi Energy
John Glassmire has extensive experience in the technical and economic potential for energy storage and distributed energy resources to provide clean, low-cost, reliable power. He has led and worked on a wide-variety of energy research and consulting projects including targeted business cases for customers considering renewable energy, cost-to-society environmental and economic impacts of clean energy technologies for grid planning, integrated resource planning for energy infrastructure, ex-post financial analysis of demand management programs, and monitoring and evaluation frameworks for energy efficiency and distributed energy programs. His experience is global, ranging from small islands in the Pacific, to isolated Arctic diesel grids, to larger island utilities in the Caribbean, to grid edge technologies in mainland utility networks in Australia, North America, and Europe. An accomplished speaker, he has led training workshops on unlocking the benefits of energy storage, integrating renewables into electrical grids, and microgrid resiliency for thousands of people worldwide. John also served as an affiliate instructor in distributed renewable power systems at the University of Washington. BSME (Rice), MSME (Northwestern).
Stefan Goede, Co-Founder, Munich Electrification GmbH
Stefan Goede is a CO-Founder of Munich Electrification, a battery management system supplier. He has been working in the BMS domain since 2008 and previous career steps include positions such as Staff Engineer for BMS at Tesla Motors, BMS Project Manager at BMW and BMS Function Developer at Daimler.
Joshua Goldman, Senior Director of Sales, eMobility, ABM ATS
With over 25 years of experience, Joshua Goldman with a background in Mechanical and Systems Engineering has been instrumental in the development of electrified Medium and Heavy Duty Buses, Trucks and their associated charging and fueling systems. Joshua's hands on expertise spans over 75 makes and models of electrified vehicles from dozens of OEMs and most types of engines, batteries and fuels, including helping to launch Proterra in 2008-2013. While at Proterra Joshua helped invent, develop patent and sell the world’s fast charge EV buses and first dual-port 1 MW (500 kW x 2) automated charging stations. During 2013-2020, Joshua also helped develop and sell some of the first V2G School Buses, and EV Semi, Yard Tractor, Box and Refuse Trucks. Since 2020 Joshua became an expert in Microgrids using Generators, Fuel Cells, Solar and Batteries to support EV Charging. Joshua brings his extensive experience and knowledge to help lead ABM’s eMobility Sales Team to support the infrastructure solutions for Public and Private Fleets. Joshua has been reliably and affordably charging his various plug-in cars since 2013 at his solar-powered home in San Diego, California and is an avid environmentalist, cyclist, sailor, and proud father of two teenagers, two dogs and two tortoises.
Emily Greenspan, Associate Director, Oxfam America
Emily Greenspan co-leads Oxfam America’s Natural Resource Justice global program based in Washington, DC. She has worked on natural resource issues for 20 years, with a particular focus on land and community rights. Her research includes Oxfam’s "Community Consent Index" (2015); "Free, Prior and Informed Consent in Africa: An emerging standard for the extractive industries" (2014); and "Watching the Watchdogs: Evaluating independent expert panels that monitor large-scale oil and gas pipeline projects" (2011). Before coming to work for Oxfam, Emily worked on oil, forestry, and indigenous rights issues with the World Wildlife Fund in Peru, and on a civil society strengthening program with the Pan American Development Foundation. She received her master’s degree in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School.
Jerome Gregeois, Director Commercial Vehicles Development, Hyundai-Kia America Technical Center
Jerome Gregeois is the Director of commercial vehicles development at the Hyundai America Technical Center where he oversees the Engineering and planning of medium and heavy duty vehicles for the United States market. Mr Gregeois joined Hyundai in 2008 and held positions in the powertrain development department on engines, transmissions and electrified systems, with a focus on performance and suitability to market expectations. In the past 10 years, he was involved in the development of the first hybrid electric, the first battery electric and the first hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles by Hyundai for the North American market. Additionally he was engaged in the zero emissions refueling/recharging infrastructure development support. He is passionate about resolving environmental issues by developing innovative, relevant and cost effective technologies. Mr Gregeois holds a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Prior to joining Hyundai in 2008, he held positions in design, testing and quality for powertrain systems at Nissan in the United States and Renault in Europe.
Thomas D. Gregory, Owner and Consultant, Borealis Technology Solutions LLC
Tom Gregory received his BS in chemical engineering from Case Western Reserve University in 1978 and his MS in 1979, specializing in electrochemical engineering. His 34-year career at Dow Chemical encompassed a variety of R&D roles including development and scale-up of production technology for organic, inorganic, polymer, and ceramic materials. He led pioneering rechargeable magnesium battery R&D and engaged in development of novel lithium ion battery and fuel cell-related technologies. Tom is currently a consultant specializing in chemical process analysis, design, and scale-up and electrochemical energy generation and storage. He is active in both AIChE and The Electrochemical Society and frequently serves on proposal review panels for the National Science Foundation and Department of Energy. He is the inventor or co-inventor on 16 U.S. and 42 foreign patents and has published or presented 25 papers in scientific journals and conferences.
Oliver Gross, MASc, SME Energy Storage and Conversion, Advanced Propulsion Technology, Stellantis
Oliver is the global Subject Matter Expert for Advanced Energy Storage and Conversion at Stellantis where he is responsible for the energy storage and fuel cell systems technology roadmaps and architecture. He is a member of the United States Advanced Battery Consortium Technical Advisory Committee, and chairs several additional committees, including manufacturing, 12V Stop Start and 48V Mild Hybrid batteries. He holds both a BS and a Master’s Degree in Materials Science, for the University of Toronto. Oliver has over 25 years’ experience in the advanced energy storage industry. He currently holds over 10 patents, and more than 20 publications.
Nicolas Grosso, PhD, Director Innovation, Lilac Solutions
Nicolas (Nico) Grosso Giordano is a chemical engineer with deep expertise across process R&D, scale-up, and intellectual property in the lithium extraction and critical minerals sector. At Lilac Solutions, he has held a range of technical leadership roles, including spearheading the company’s new process R&D initiatives, scaling strategies, and development of its intellectual property portfolio. Most recently, Nico has focused on advancing Lilac’s technical partnerships in emerging lithium markets, including produced water, battery recycling, and downstream processing. Nico earned his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, where he collaborated with Chevron to develop novel catalytic materials for petrochemical applications. He holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University. He is the author of over 20 peer-reviewed publications in leading scientific journals and is an inventor on four U.S. patents covering advanced materials, separations, and critical mineral extraction technologies.
Saeid Habibi, PhD, Professor Mechanical Engineering, Center for Mechatronics & Hybrid Technologies, McMaster University
Dr. Habibi is the founder of EECOMOBILITY Inc., a Canadian start-up out of McMaster University. EECOMOBLTY specializes in AI software and has developed unique products for rapid characterization and production line testing of battery cells, modules, and pack. Dr. Habibi is also a Tier I Canada Research Chair and a full Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at McMaster University. He is the founder and the Director of the Centre for Mechatronics and Hybrid Technologies (CMHT). CHMT has created one of the most advanced and best-equipped automotive research laboratories in Canada and internationally specializing in battery characterization, testing, prognostics, and diagnostics. CMHT researchers have collaborated with industrial partners to design and commercialize unique test equipment that are sold internationally and have created unique testing and characterization capabilities. CMHT currently supports a number of large projects as well as being a resource to automotive companies and start-ups. Dr. Habibi is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and a Fellow of the Canadian Society of Mechanical Engineers (CSME).
Michael Harenbrock, PhD, Principal Expert, Engineering Electric Mobility, MANN+HUMMEL GmbH
Michael Harenbrock holds the position of Principal Expert, Electric Mobility at MANN+HUMMEL GmbH, a global leader in filtration solutions for the automotive industry. After receiving his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from WWU Münster in 1994, he worked in the chemical-pharmaceutical industry before joining MANN+HUMMEL in 1998 as Manager Materials Development Filter. Further positions in the company included Manager, Advanced Development Filtration Transportation and Manager, Advanced Development Electric Mobility & Fuel Cells. He has worked on fuel cell and battery projects since 2010. Through market and technology monitoring, he identifies the need for new innovative filtration solutions for Electric Mobility, and coordinates their related activities worldwide. International networking and collaboration in industry organizations are essential parts of his work. His passion is for Clean Transport - helping to protect man and environment from transport-related emissions.
Marc Simon Henderson, Curtin University and FBICRC
Before joining the FBICRC program to pursue his PhD at Curtin University, Marc completed his BSc and MSc in Engineering at The University of the Witwatersrand, in South Africa. His research focused on the development of a supercritical fluid extraction method that could be used to extract gold from low-grade, refractory mine tailings. After completing his MSc he worked as a software engineering consultant in the smart mining and manufacturing industry. His PhD research aims to develop green, scalable hydrometallurgical recycling and recovery technologies that are capable of extracting materials such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, and graphite from mixed chemistry end-of-life batteries.
Gustavo Hobold, PhD, CTO, Greentown Labs
Gustavo M. Hobold is the CTO of Elementium Materials. Elementium is reshaping the battery landscape by developing ultra-high performance low cost drop-in electrolytes that mitigate the failure mechanisms of legacy carbonate-based electrolytes and unlock the next generation of battery chemistries. We are supporting over 40+ customer pilots across the globe across all lithium and sodium cell chemistries. Gustavo obtained his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), from which he received the ECS Battery Division Student Research Award. His work focuses on electrolyte discovery for next-generation rechargeable batteries that can replace carbonate-based electrolytes at scale and enable emerging battery materials with no trade-offs in performance. His research has resulted in the development of new classes of electrolytes and a series of experimental high-throughput techniques for electrolyte screening and characterization.
Ken Hoffman, Founder & CEO, Traubenbach
For nearly a decade, Ken Hoffman led McKinsey's global battery value chain work from capital raising and strategy advice to go-to-market work. He has assisted top private equity firms on more than 100 due diligence projects. Today, Ken sits on the Board of NEO Battery Materials, serves as an advisor to the CEOs of Pure Lithium and IBC Advanced Technologies, and is the commodity strategist for Canada's Redcloud Securities. He has been a keynote speaker at PDAC, Future Minerals Forum, FastMarkets, AABC, NAATBATT, LME, SMM, etc., as well as on the advisory Board for "The Battery Show". He was asked by the Chamber of Commerce forum in Washington, DC, to talk about batteries to more than 300 global CEO's. Before McKinsey, Ken had worked in financial markets as a portfolio manager and director of research among other roles.
Chao Hu, PhD, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering, University of Connecticut
Dr. Chao Hu received his B.E. degree in Engineering Physics from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, in 2007 and his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park in Maryland, in 2011. He worked first as a Senior Reliability Engineer and then as a Principal Scientist at Medtronic in Minnesota from 2011 to 2015. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Iowa State University and has a courtesy faculty appointment in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. His research interests are engineering design under uncertainty, lifetime prediction of lithium-ion batteries, and prognostics and health management. Dr. Hu has received several awards and recognitions for his research, including the Best Track Paper Award at the IISE Annual Conference & Expo in 2019; the ASME Design Automation Young Investigator Award in 2018; the Highly Cited Research Paper 2012-2013 in the Journal of Applied Energy in 2015; the Star of Excellence Individual Award at Medtronic in 2014; and the Best Paper Awards at the ASME Design Automation Conference and the IEEE International Conference on Prognostics and Health Management in 2013 and 2012, respectively.
William Huang, PhD, Manager Cell Engineering, Cell Engineering, Archer Aviation Inc.
William leads the Cell Engineering team at Archer which is responsible for the technical sourcing, qualification, and cell model development for Archer's aircraft programs. William holds a BS in Nanoengineering from the University of California, San Diego and a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University. William's PhD work with Professor Yi Cui at Stanford focused on structural and chemical characterization of the solid-electrolyte interphase with cryogenic transmission electron microscopy, along with its impact on battery degradation for advanced anode chemistries such as silicon and lithium metal. William joined Tesla following his PhD, where he worked on anode materials qualification for various cell programs.
Samantha Hung, PhD, Senior Engineer, CATL
Dr. Samantha Hung is a senior engineer on the Advanced Metal Anode Research (AMAR) team at the 21C Lab, part of Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL). Her work centers on advancing fundamental understanding of battery technologies, both for lithium metal and lithium-ion systems. She has published in leading peer-reviewed journals on topics ranging from molecular dynamics-primarily stemming from her doctoral research at Stanford University (Ph.D. in Chemistry, 2023)-to applied battery research through collaborative efforts in academia and industry.
Hiroki Inagaki, Technical Executive, Battery Division, Toshiba
Toshiba Corporation Technical Executive, Battery Division 2020 - Present Senior Manager, Cell Application Technology Department, Battery Division 2019 - 2020 Senior Manager, Functional Materials R&D Department, Research and Development Center 2015 - 2019 Technical Management Group, Research Planning Department, Research Planning Division, Research and Development Center 2013 - 2014 Functional Materials R&D Department, Research and Development Center 1995 - 2013
Viktor Irle, Co-Founder & Market Analyst, EV Volumes
Viktor Irle has a M.Sc. in Management & Economics of Innovation from Chalmers University of Technology, where he learnt analyzing emerging markets and market disruptions from new innovations. Being passionate about automobiles and especially electric engines and clean technology, EV-volumes.com is the natural outcome of his set of skills. Viktor is convinced the future automotive history is both electric and autonomous.
Sam Jaffe, Principal, 1019 Technologies
Sam Jaffe is the principal at 1019 Technologies. He has been in the battery industry for two decades as an analyst, a consultant, and an executive. He was previously the founder and managing director of Cairn ERA, a company acquired by E Source in 2021. Prior to that he worked at Navigant and before that at IDC Energy Insights. He was also the founder and CEO of Panea Energy and Cygnus Energy. He is the author of two books, Jewish Wisdom for Business Success and The New Korea, and lives in Boulder, Colorado.
David Xiulei Ji, Professor, Chemistry, Oregon State University
Professor Xiulei “David” Ji holds the Bert and Emelyn Christensen Professorship at Oregon State University. His research focuses on advancing fundamental principles of battery chemistry. He has been recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher by the Web of Science Group since 2019, with over 45,000 citations and an H-index of 96 (Google Scholar). His honors include the NSF CAREER Award (2016), Oregon State University’s Impact Award for Outstanding Scholarship (2024), and election as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2024). He is also a Scialog Fellow of the Research Corporation for Science Advancement. Prof. Ji serves as a founding Associate Editor of Carbon Energy (Wiley) and is the co-founder and CEO of A-Next Batteries Inc., a startup transforming cathode materials for next-generation Li-ion batteries.
Vibha Kalra, PhD, Fred H. Rhodes Professor, Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University
Dr. Vibha Kalra is a Fred H. Rhodes Professor in the Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Cornell University. She also serves as an editor of Chemical Engineering Science journal since 2013. Prior to joining Cornell University in January 2024, Kalra was a George B. Francis Chair professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Drexel University, starting as an assistant professor in 2010. Kalra received her BS from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, India, in 2004 and PhD from Cornell University in 2009, both in Chemical Engineering. Her research group combines material assembly & characterization, study of fundamental electrochemical behavior, in-situ spectro-electrochemistry, and device assembly and testing to develop energy storage devices, including next-generation batteries and supercapacitors. She has published over 65 peer-reviewed journal articles and has 13 pending/issued patents in the field of energy storage. Kalra is a recipient of several awards including the NSF CAREER award (2012), ONR summer faculty fellowship award (2013), AIChE DVS Outstanding Faculty of the Year Award (2015), CBE Outstanding Service Award (2018), College of Engineering Outstanding Research Award (both at assistant professor level (2015) and at mid-career level (2020)), Provost Award for Outstanding Mid-Career Research Achievement (2020), and the COE Outstanding Innovation Award (2021). Kalra was also selected as a fellow of the Executive Leadership in Academic Technology, Engineering and Science (ELATES) program in 2022-23.
James Kaschmitter, CEO, SpectraPower LLC
James Kaschmitter is the CEO of SpectraPower, which he founded in 2002. SpectraPower operates a battery research facility in Livermore, CA that performs contract energy storage research, consulting and expert witness services for government, private companies, law firms, startups and investors. Jim has founded, or co-founded, several companies in the energy storage field. He began research in Li-ion batteries in 1989 at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). He was co-founder and CEO of PolyStor Corporation starting in 1993. PolyStor is the only U.S. company to have commercially manufactured in high volume in the U.S. all form factors of lithium-ion cells, including cylindrical, prismatic and polymer. In 1997 Jim founded PowerStor Corporation to commercialize the carbon aerogel supercapacitor that he co-invented at LLNL. PowerStor supercapacitors are now manufactured and sold in high volume by Eaton Bussman. He founded UltraCell in 2002, which successfully developed the world’s first reformed methanol micro fuel cell. UltraCell’s micro fuel cells are currently manufactured and sold by Brentronics and are deployed with U.S military and intelligence units, and are in use in combat in the Middle East. Jim holds a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University and has a bachelor’s degree in the Physics Honors Program from the University of Utah. He holds more than 20 patents in the alternative energy field. He owns, maintains and operates an experimental aircraft and holds instrument and multi-engine ratings.
Patric Keister, Quality Assurance, Fraunhofer Research Facility Production Battery Cell FFB
No bio available.
Edward Keith, Head of Consulting Operations, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
Ed heads up Consulting Operations at Benchmark. He has extensive transaction and strategic advisory experience on multiple projects across the Energy Transition supply chain, with a combined project value in the billions.
Brandon Kelly, PhD, Vice President, Cell Engineering, Peak Energy
Brandon Kelly is the Vice President of Cell at Peak Energy, where he leads the development and scaling of advanced battery technologies. With a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and a specialization in energy storage from Colorado State University, Brandon has extensive experience in battery material science, characterization, and product development. Prior to joining Peak Energy, he played a key role at Solid Power, where he spearheaded multi-million-dollar efforts to scale solid-state battery production for automotive applications. Brandon’s work is driven by a passion for building effective development teams and a deep understanding of battery technologies. His expertise includes launching new products, managing large-scale projects, and fostering collaborative, innovative work environments to accelerate the development of hard tech solutions.
Kurt Kelty, Vice President, Battery Cell & Pack, General Motors
Kurt is currently the vice president of battery cell and pack for General Motors. Prior to that Kurt was the VP of Automotive at Sila Nanotechnologies, a battery materials company that enables lighter, higher energy density lithium-ion batteries for mass adoption of electric vehicles, longer-lasting portable electronics, and broader use of renewable power sources. Kelty brings more than 25 years of experience in the battery industry, including 11 years at Tesla, where he most recently served as Senior Director of Battery Technology. There he was responsible for leading numerous key initiatives, including setting the company’s battery cell usage strategy, delivering the batteries implemented in the Roadster, Model S/X and Model 3, and leading partnerships and material sourcing efforts at the Gigafactory, among many others. Prior to Tesla, Kelty was Director of Business Development at Panasonic, where he founded the U.S. battery R&D lab. Kelty holds a BA in Biology from Swarthmore College and a Master of Science from Stanford.
Kostyantyn Khomutov, Co-Founder and CEO, GBatteries
Kostya is a seasoned executive with more than 15 years of experience in the global technology sector. He is the Chief Executive Officer of GBatteries, an advanced battery technology company, based in Ottawa, Canada. His focus is to deliver advanced battery technology while driving operational excellence. He has a Master of Applied Science in Aerospace Engineering from Carleton University. Prior to GBatteries, Kostya was the founder of several organizations including Wolna, a SatCom company, and Smart Rotor Systems (SRS), a company that developed vibration and noise reduction technology for helicopters.
Dong-Su Kim, CEO, LG Technology Ventures
Dong-Su Kim is the CEO and board member of LG Technology Ventures. He has over twenty-five years of investment, strategy, planning, and technology experience. As the founding CEO, Dong-Su established the fund structure, hired key people, and initiated investment operations. Under his guidance, LG Technology Ventures manages over $400 million of fund assets and invests in early-stage information technology, automotive, manufacturing, life-sciences, energy, and advanced materials companies. Portfolio companies include AmazeVR, Lygos, May Mobility, and Ridecell. Previously, Dong-Su was Vice President and GM of Samsung Ventures America where he managed offices in Menlo Park, Boston, London, and Tel Aviv. He has led the investment of over thirty companies in diverse sectors including semiconductors (Soft Machines, Verisilicon, Wave Computing), equipment (DCG Systems, IMS, Reno Subsystems), materials (Nanosys, NexPlanar, Voltaix), and storage systems (Pure Storage). Prior to joining Samsung Ventures, he was a Director at Asia Evolution, an investment bank in Korea covering mid-market financing, private placement, and M&As. Before that, he was a Director at the Technology Strategy Office of Samsung Electronics. As the CTO’s staff, he was responsible for strategic venture investments and technology alliances. He also worked in technology planning for Samsung’s Telecom R&D center, responsible for discovering new research topics. Dong-Su started his professional career as a Technical Leader at Samsung Fiber Optics Business Unit in development of fiber optic components. His past Board Director appointments include Datera, Digital Specialty Chemicals, Femtometrix, Inpria, Reno Subsystems, SBA Materials, SVXR, D2S, DCG Systems (acquired by FEI), NexPlanar (acquired by Cabot), Voltaix (acquired by Air Liquide), Panasas, and Pixtronix (acquired by Qualcomm). Dong-Su also served on the Investment Advisory Committee for Sierra Ventures. Dong-Su has earned an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University, and a B.S. with Honors in Applied Physics from California Institute of Technology
Kevin Konecky, Vice President, Battery Systems Engineering, Ola Electric
Mr. Konecky brings over 20 years of xEV experience to his work, having worked on multiple complex designs for battery system development, charging system integration, and high-voltage powertrain integration. He is skilled in new product design and development, product testing, product safety, integration of multiple sub-systems for vehicles, new product launches and has expanded his skillset beyond batteries into power electronics. His experience in batteries includes multiple technologies (Li-ion, NiMH, UltraCapacitors, Lead-Acid). Mr. Konecky has worked for multiple OEM and Tier 1 battery suppliers (GM, Fisker, Byton, Cobasys, EnerDel, Lockheed Martin) and has a BS in Electrical Engineering from Clarkson University (Potsdam, NY) and MS from Purdue (IUPUI - Indianapolis, IN).
Christina Lampe-Onnerud, PhD, Founder and CEO, Cadenza Innovation
Recognized for more than 25 years of developing and commercializing lithium-ion batteries, Dr. Christina Lampe-Onnerud is Founder and CEO of Cadenza Innovation, a growth-stage company transforming energy storage for grid, EV, commercial and industrial, and urban battery deployments. Previously, Dr. Lampe-Onnerud was Founder, CEO, and International Chairman of Boston-Power, a battery company providing products to the consumer electronics, transportation, and other end markets. Earlier in her career, Dr. Lampe-Onnerud held executive positions with Bridgewater Associates and Arthur D. Little, where she led the world’s largest non-captive battery lab. A two-time World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer and former co-chair of its Global Future Councils, Dr. Lampe-Onnerud is a co-chair of Li-Bridge, a public-private alliance convened by the U.S. Department of Energy to accelerate the creation of a robust domestic manufacturing base and supply chain for lithium-based batteries. She is also a former board director with the New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology (NY-BEST) Consortium, a coalition working to build a vibrant, world-class, advanced battery and energy storage sector in New York State. Dr. Lampe-Onnerud holds a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from Uppsala University, Sweden, conducted post-doctoral work at MIT and currently sits on MIT’s Chemistry Department Visiting Committee.
Tim Lin, PhD, CTO and Founder, Solid Energies
Dr. Timothy Lin is the founder/CTO of Solid Energies Inc (www.solidenergies.com), which started its business in 2017, with a focus on the research, manufacturing, and commercialization of new-generation solid-state batteries. Dr. Lin is a veteran scientist and entrepreneur in developing and commercializing new generation renewable/clean energy technologies for over 20 years, having founded 3 companies including SEI and Bioenno Tech. Since 2009, his team has received more than 20 grants from federal agencies including DoE/DoD/NASA, and has collaborated with several major EV/defense companies for the technical commercialization related to all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries (ASSB). Recently, his team received grants from (1) the California Energy Commission (CEC) to establish initial commercial manufacturing of ASSB directed toward mass production for potential applications in renewable energy and electric vehicles, and (2) ARPA-E to develop and manufacture a new-generation of solid-state Li-air battery for applications in electrified transportations.
Lin Liu, PhD, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering, University of Kansas
Dr. Lin Liu received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Iowa State University in 2011, and subsequently spent one and a half years as a post-doctoral researcher at The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, before joining The University of Kansas in 2013. Dr. Liu’s research focuses on the development of new theoretical models to predict both the electrochemical performance and the reliability of energy conversion and storage devices, such as solid-state fuel cells and Lithium-ion batteries. Dr. Liu and his students are also developing new fabrication techniques to synthesize materials and cell components. He has co-authored more than 50 peer-reviewed research articles. Dr. Liu also has industrial experience at General Motors and The Stanley Works. Currently, the research in Dr. Liu’s group has been supported by NSF, NASA, and the Kansas Board of Regents.
Ping Liu, PhD, Professor and Director, Sustainable Power and Energy Center, University of California, San Diego
Dr. Ping Liu is Professor of Nanoengineering and Director of the Sustainable Power and Energy Center (SPEC) at University of California, San Diego. His research interests include lithium metal batteries, solid state batteries, and battery safety. Previously, Dr. Liu has led research programs in electrochemical conversion and storage as a staff member at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and as a manager at HRL Laboratories. Dr. Liu also served as a Program Director at Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) where he drove the development of robust energy storage and thermal management technologies. Websites: http://liugroup.ucsd.edu; http://spec.ucsd.edu
Tongchao Liu, PhD, Assistant Chemist, Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory
Tongchao Liu is currently an assistant chemist in the Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division at Argonne National Laboratory. He received his PhD degree from Peking University. His research interests are focused on the interface of electrochemistry, cathode materials, and materials characterization, in particular, concentration gradient cathode design and fundamental understanding of failure chemistries through in situ synchrotron-based X-ray techniques. He is currently serving as editor in the high-impact journals of Nano Energy and Materials Today Energy.
Haodong Liu, PhD, Co-Founder and CTO, Tyfast Energy Corp.; Activate Fellow, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Dr. Haodong Liu is co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Tyfast. He is also Activate Fellow, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Before Tyfast, he was Project Scientist at UCSD’s Center for Memory and Recording Research. He is an expert in a variety of the electrochemical systems, from design, synthesis, processing, and characterization of advanced electrode materials for LIB and novel electrolytes for Li-metal batteries. He published more than 120 papers with more than 10,000 citations and 7 patents. He is the co-inventor of the disordered rocksalt lithium vanadium oxide anode material, the core technology of Tyfast.
Minghong Liu, PhD, Battery Research Engineer, Ford Motor Company
Cell Technology Research Engineer in Ford Motor Company. 15+ years industry experience in battery research and development with applications on automotive electrification. Extensive experience in cell design and manufacturing scale-up in both China and USA battery industries. Currently focus on advanced cell technologies through USABC programs, government projects, collaboration with research entities, and internal research projects.
Jordan Loos, Senior Specialist, Battery Integration, Cummins Battery Systems North America
Jordan Loos is a Senior Battery Integration Specialist at Cummins Inc., where he works in the evaluation and integration of batteries for hybrid on- and off-highway applications. With a Bachelor’s in physics from Willamette University and a Master's in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University, Jordan has extensive experience in battery management systems (BMS), system engineering, validation, electrochemistry, and control strategies. His career includes development of lithium-ion BMS systems, battery supplier collaboration, and contributing to the mechanical, electrical, and thermal integration of battery systems. Prior to Cummins, Jordan worked at eChemion Inc., developing electrode materials for flow batteries. He holds multiple patents related to battery technology and continues to play a key role in advancing sustainable battery solutions for the automotive industry.
Corey T. Love, PhD, Senior Science & Technology Manager, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
Dr. Corey T. Love is the Principal Scientist for Power and Energy a Senior Science & Technology Manager position within the Chemistry Division at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington, DC. He is a subject matter expert to the Navy for battery performance and safety. He leads and serves on multiple interagency working groups across government.
Mark Lu, PhD, Senior Industrial Analyst, Industrial Economics & Knowledge Center, Industrial Technology Research Institute
Mr. Lu graduated from Department of Business Administration in National Cheng-chi University, Taiwan, and continued to acquire an MBA degree from National Sun Yat-sen University. His first job concerned with the optical film in China for two years, then came back Taiwan to serve Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) as an analyst in Industry, Science and Technology International Strategy Center (ISTI) until now. As a certified industrial analyst of the biggest think-tank in Taiwan, he is responsible for the research about Taiwan battery-related industry, including material, cell, pack and related applications. Not only handling the official government statistics about Taiwan battery industry, sometimes he also plays a role to provide consulting suggestions for Taiwan government and firms. From 2010 to June 2020, he served as the secretary-general of the Taiwan Battery Association.
Monica Marinescu, PhD, Senior Lecturer Mechanics of Materials, Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College London
Monica Marinescu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College London. She has worked in the field of electrochemical energy storage for 13 years and leads a research group focussing on identifying the mechanisms that limit the performance of batteries (Li-ion and Li-Sulfur) and supercapacitors. She has developed bespoke modelling tools and experimental techniques that inform the design of battery cells and packs with increased performance, and enable their better use, focussing on thermal effects and degradation prediction. She is the author of 70 peer reviewed publications. She is also the Co-founder and Chief Scientific Advisor of Ionetic, a software-accelerated battery pack development company. She is passionate about enabling industry advancements, and collaborated with more than 20 industry partners to translate research outputs into products in electrification applications.
Tom Maull, Manager, Technical Strategy, Elysia Battery Intelligence
Tom Maull is the Technical Strategy Manager for Elysia Battery Intelligence. Prior to his current role, he lead battery modelling activities and algorithm development for several high-profile battery programmes ranging from large Haul Trucks to top-tier motorsport, including Formula E Gen 3 and LMDh. In his current role, Tom develops the R&D strategy for Elysia Battery Intelligence, working in close collaboration with academic and technical partners. Before joining Elysia, Tom worked as a mechanical engineering consultant, serving clients in the automotive and offroad industry.
Seamus McGrath, Senior Director, High Power DC Charging Systems, Heliox
Seamus McGrath is the Senior Director of Research and Development at Heliox, A Siemens Business. Seamus joined Heliox in 2019, where he now leads a world-class R&D division developing cutting-edge charging solutions that are scalable, efficient, and ready for the demands of next-generation mobility. His work combines hands-on technical expertise with strategic leadership to deliver game-changing infrastructure for zero-emission transport. Seamus has been a pioneer working in the electric mobility space since 2001. His contributions started in passenger vehicles while working on the Chevy Volt at General Motors. In 2011, he pivoted to heavy duty vehicles and took on the challenge high power charging at Proterra. In that role, he led the industry in on-route charging and delivered North America’s first 500kW charging stations across the country. Seamus received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology (aka University of Missouri-Rolla).
Urvi Mehta, Senior Research Associate, Energy Storage, Lux Research
Urvi Mehta is a senior research associate at Lux Research, based in Houston, where she conducts analysis and provides insights into the energy storage sector. Urvi provides subject-matter expertise spanning a wide array of emerging storage technologies, including Li-ion batteries, solid-state batteries, and other novel battery chemistries. This coverage expands to the entire value chain, including battery recycling, the regulatory landscape, and the shifting business models shaping the future of energy. Urvi’s role at Lux entails advising leaders in the chemicals, utilities, and oil and gas industries to effectively navigate and capitalize on the opportunities inherent in this rapidly evolving sector. Before joining Lux, Urvi worked as a research analyst at Customized Energy Solutions, where she delivered high-impact market analyses and strategic consulting in the field of microgrids, electric vehicles, and energy storage to C-suite executives. Urvi holds an M.Sc. in business analytics from the University of Houston and an MTech in energy systems and technology from Pandit Deendayal Energy University, India, which provided her experience in and understanding of grid modernization and government policies.
Shirley Meng, PhD, Director, Energy Storage Research Alliance (ESRA), Argonne National Laboratory; The Liew Family Professor, The University of Chicago
Professor Y. Shirley Meng received her Ph.D. in Advance Materials for Micro & Nano Systems from the Singapore-MIT Alliance in 2005, after which she worked as a postdoc research fellow and became a research scientist at MIT. Shirley currently holds the Zable Endowed Chair Professor in Energy Technologies and is Professor of NanoEngineering and Materials Science, University of California San Diego (UCSD). She is the founding Director of the Sustainable Power and Energy Center (2015-2020) and was named as inaugural director of the Institute of Materials Discovery and Design. Professor Meng received the National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award in 2011, UCSD Chancellor’s Interdisciplinary Collaboratories Award in 2013, C.W. Tobias Young Investigator Award of the Electrochemical Society (2016), International Coalition for Energy Storage and Innovation (ICESI) Inaugural Young Career Award (2018), American Chemical Society ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces Young Investigator Award (2018), a Finalist for the Blavatnik National Award (2018), International Battery Associations Research Award (2019) and Royal Chemical Society Faraday’s Medal (2020). She is the author and co-author of more than 225 peer-reviewed journal articles, 2 book chapter and 5 issued patents. Professor Meng serves on the executive committee for battery division at the Electrochemical Society and she is the Editor-in-Chief for MRS Energy & Sustainability. She is an elected fellow of the Electrochemical Society (FECS) and fellow of the Materials Research Society (FMRS).
Xiangbo Meng, PhD, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering, University of Arkansas Fayetteville
Xiangbo (Henry) Meng is currently an Associate Professor in Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville, AR, USA). Prior to joining University of Arkansas in 2016, Meng was a Postdoctoral Fellow at both Argonne and Brookhaven National Laboratory. Since 2009, Meng has been focusing on addressing interfacial issues of various battery systems using atomic and molecular layer deposition.
Tedjani Mesbahi, PhD, Associate Professor, ICube Laboratory, INSA Strasbourg
Dr. Tedjani Mesbahi is an Associate Professor at INSA Strasbourg, affiliated with the ICube-CNRS laboratory in France, with a background in electrical engineering. He holds an Engineer Diploma and M.Sc. from the UBMA and Polytechnic School of Algiers, Algeria, and completed his PhD at Ecole Centrale Lille and ESTACA, France. With an HdR from the University of Strasbourg, he brings vast expertise to his role. Dr. Mesbahi led numerous research projects from 2017 to 2023, securing funding for initiatives like the Interreg VEHICLE and Horizon Europe ENRGETIC projects. His extensive publication record and notable H-index demonstrate his scholarly impact. He has diverse experience, including roles as an R&D engineer, Post-Doc researcher, and assistant professor. Dr. Mesbahi spearheads Industry 4.0 training and serves as a research team coordinator. His primary research focuses on optimizing energy management for electric vehicles, integrating AI and conducting battery tests, aiming to enhance performance and reduce ownership costs (TCO).
Rana Mohtadi, PhD, Senior Principal Scientist, Materials Research, Toyota Research Institute of North America
Dr. R. Mohtadi is a Senior Principal Scientist at the materials research department at Toyota Research Institute of North America TRINA and has been in the decarbonization R&D field for over two decades. She has been spearheading and leading research for the creation, design and demonstration of materials for chemical and electrochemical energy storage technologies, including the research of novel battery electrolyte chemistries for liquid and solid-state batteries, and has contributed important advancements in these areas. She has published influential research and has been awarded over 30 patents. Notable recognitions include receiving the R&D100 award (2011) and being named in “40 under 40” by the Automotive and Crain’s news (2014). She was recognized and showed cased in the “We Run on Brain Power” initiative by the State Governor in 2015 as a face of cutting edge innovation in the State of Michigan, USA.
Victoria Mosolgo, Conference Producer, Cambridge EnerTech
Since 2015, Victoria has served as a Conference Producer for Cambridge Enertech, with primary responsibilities for scientific conference program development within energy market sectors, with conferences based in the United States and Europe. She has a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Ian Murray, Associate Conference Producer, Cambridge EnerTech
Since joining Cambridge EnerTech as Associate Conference Producer in March 2024, Ian has spearheaded the production of new conference programs dedicated to addressing the global bottleneck in electric vehicle fast charging and infrastructure. Prior to joining Cambridge EnerTech, Ian conducted mathematical research in physical oceanography before foraying into K-12 education for gifted and talented mathematics students. Ian enjoys engaging others in their fields of expertise and staying current on latest trends and developments in the battery, electric vehicle, and charging infrastructure space.
Frank Nikolic, Vice President, Base & Battery Metals, CRU Group
Frank has 20 years of experience in a variety of senior leadership roles in the mining industry spanning strategy, intelligence, metallurgy, digital transformation, and commercial operations - all during his tenure with Vale Base Metals. He recently joined CRU as the Vice President for Base and Battery Metals North America responsible for providing thought leadership and guidance to the commodity value chain industry. Frank holds a Bachelor of Applied Science and Engineering specializing in Mineral Processing from the University of Toronto, and an MBA specializing in Strategic Planning and Industrial Relations from York University.
Sascha Nowak, PhD, Head of Analytics & Environmental, Electrochemical Energy Technology, University of Münster
Dr. Nowak studied Chemistry at the University of Münster and got his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry. After his doctorate, he joined the working group of Professor Winter at the MEET Battery Research Center at the University of Münster in 2009 as a postdoctoral researcher, where he established the Analytical department. From 2010-12, he was the Head of the Analytics and Recycling competence areas, and since 2012, he has held a position at the MEET Battery Research Center as Head of the Analytics and Environment division, which mainly focuses on electrolyte aging, transition metal migration and surface investigations, recycling, and second life, as well as toxicological investigations.
Zahra Nozarijouybari, Senior Battery System Design and Architecture Engineer, Tesla Motors
Zahra N. is a Senior Battery System Design and Architecture Engineer at Tesla Energy, where she contributes to the development and integration of advanced battery technologies for both industrial and residential energy storage systems. She brings over five years of combined research and industry experience in battery modeling, state estimation, and energy system integration. Her expertise spans the full lifecycle of battery systems, including cell characterization, modeling, reliability test development, failure analysis, and lifetime performance prediction. At Tesla, Zahra leads the introduction of new battery products by bridging the gap between cell design and system-level requirements.
Emil Nusbaum, Vice President of Strategy, Government, & Regulatory Affairs, Automotive Recyclers Association
Emil Nusbaum is the Vice President of Strategy, Government and Regulatory Affairs for the Automotive Recyclers Association. He also serves as Co-Chair of NAATBatt’s Policy and Regulatory Committee. Prior to joining ARA, Emil was Policy Counsel for the National Vehicle Service, which is widely recognized as the world leader in providing unique vehicle theft, vehicle fraud, and asset protection solutions to the law enforcement community, vehicle finance industry, and insurance and rental car industries. Throughout his career, Emil has worked in many areas of the automotive industry in ways that have allowed him to focus on the intersection of law, policy, privacy, technology, and the entirety of product lifecycle. Emil frequently works on crafting policy recommendations and best practices with federal and state government. This includes policies relating to a diverse range of subjects including electric vehicle batteries, pollution control, catalytic converter theft, vehicle data access, vehicle exports, and other automotive related issues.
Carrie Okma, Head of Lithium ion Modules & Cell Product Release & Validation Center, Stellantis
No bio available.
Benjamin Park, PhD, Founder & CTO, Enevate Corp.
Dr. Park leads Enevate’s technical team and IP efforts. He founded Enevate more than 20 years ago. He is an expert in battery and surface/bulk chemistries, and novel battery manufacturing techniques. Ben has authored 45+ talks/publications, and has 200+ patents issued/filed. He holds a doctorate in mechanical & aerospace engineering from UC Irvine, MSEE from Purdue University, BSEE from Seoul National University.
Allan Paterson, PhD, Head, Battery Development, Fortescue ZERO
Dr Allan Paterson is Head of Battery Development for Fortescue Zero, leading cell technology and applications analysis for high performance battery systems development across breadth of technology areas including motorsport, road car and heavy-duty markets. Prior to joining Fortescue, Allan was the CTO for Britishvolt, leading the technology programme for development of a UK Gigafactory. Previously, Allan has held positions as the Faraday Institution’s Head of Programme Management, and as Chief Electrochemist at both Cummins and Johnson Matthey Battery Systems where he investigated new battery technologies and their application in next generation low carbon EV, PHEV and HEV applications. Allan has 25 years’ experience in the field of lithium-ion batteries and holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of St Andrews on advanced cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries.
Christina Peabody, Hardware Engineer, Google Inc.
Christina Peabody is the techincal lead for Datacenter IT UPS batteries and energy storage at Google. She is responsible for developing energy storage solutions for Google's critical IT infrastructure. Christina has over 8 years of experience developing data center battery solutions for high availability critical software systems. Christina earned a BE in Mechanical Engineering from Vanderbilt University and a Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University.
Richard W. Pekala, CTO, R&D, Entek International, LLC
Dr. Pekala is Chief Technology Officer for ENTEK International LLC. He has a B.S. degree in biomedical engineering from Duke University and a Sc.D. degree in polymeric materials from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Pekala began his career at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory where he worked for 11 years in the Materials Science Department on sol-gel chemistry and organic-based aerogels. In 1996, Dr. Pekala joined PPG Industries as a scientist working in the Silica Products business unit where he had responsibility for precipitated silica used in battery separators and synthetic printing media. In 1999, Dr. Pekala joined ENTEK where he helped to commercialize new products such as lithium-ion battery separators, Pb-acid battery separators, and waterproof breathable membranes. Dr. Pekala has over 100 technical publications, 2 R&D 100 awards, 1 BCI Innovation award, and 41 patents.
Barry Perlmutter, President, Perlmutter & Idea Development (P&ID) LLC
Barry is President of Perlmutter & Idea Development LLC. He has over 39 years of technical engineering and business marketing experience in the field of solid-liquid separation including filtration, centrifugation, process drying, mixing and recycling. His strong professional skills focus on process solutions, innovation strategy, market expansion and business development. Barry has published and presented worldwide on applications in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and energy/environmental industries and has been responsible for introducing many European technologies into the Americas marketplace. His two books, published by Elsevier, Amsterdam, "Handbook of Solid-Liquid Filtration" and "Integration & Optimization of Unit Operations" are used worldwide for process guidance.
Ahmad Pesaran, PhD, Chief Energy Storage Engineer, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
After receiving his Ph.D. from UCLA, Ahmad has been working at NREL on energy efficient technologies including electrified vehicles. Until 2017, Ahmad was the Manager of the Energy Storage Group researching science and engineering of high energy anodes and cathodes, battery thermal management, 3D electrochemical-thermal modeling, safety and thermal runaway modeling, battery second use, techno-economic analysis of batteries for EVs; he led the Computer-Aided Engineering for Electric Drive Vehicle Batteries for Department of Energy (DOE).Between 2016 and 2018 he was detailed at the DOE's Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) as technical advisor to the Battery program supporting battery processing, extreme fast charging and recycling. He was the Administrator for the first Phase of the DOE Battery Recycling Prize.Currently, Ahmad is pursuing energy storage business development activities for NREL and supports VTO with battery processing, manufacturing, solid electrolyte, and low-cobalt cathode projects.
Wilhelm Pfleging, PhD, Head of Group Laser Materials Processing/Lithium-ion Batteries, Institute for Applied Materials (IAM-AWP), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
Wilhelm Pfleging is head of the group Laser Materials Processing at the Institute of Applied Materials (IAM-AWP) which is part of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). He received his Master and Ph.D. at the Fraunhofer Institute of Laser Technology (RWTH Aachen, Germany) in the field of pulsed laser deposition, laser micromachining, and electron spectroscopy. He has more than 30 years of experience in laser technology and material science. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals, books and conference reports (h-index 32). He is member of scientific and programme committees in several international conferences (e.g., LAMP, CLEO, ICALEO, MRS, SPIE Photonics West, SPIE Photonics Europe) with focus on laser processing and energy storage materials. He has six patents granted. At KIT, he initiates and manages several industrial and academic collaborative research and development projects with emphasis on functional surfaces and energy storage systems. His research is focused on the development of laser-assisted processes, analytics (electrochemical analytics, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy) and manufacturing of advanced lithium-ion batteries and related energy storage materials (3D Battery). Furthermore, he is Professor at university (KIT) for “Laser Technology” and “Laser-assisted methods and their application for energy storage materials."
Gregory L. Plett, PhD, Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
Professor Plett received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in 1998. Since then, he has been on the faculty of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. His research focuses on control-systems theory as applied to the management of high-capacity battery systems, such as found in hybrid and electric vehicles. Current research efforts include: physics-based reduced-order modeling of ideal lithium-ion dynamics; system identification of physics-based model parameters using only current-voltage input-output data; physics-based reduced-order modeling of degradation mechanisms in electrochemical cells; estimation of cell internal state and degradation state; state-of-charge, state-of-health and state-of-life estimation; power and energy prediction; and battery pack fast charging.
Karthik Ramaswami, PhD, CTO, R&D, SIONIC Energy
Karthik has been the CTO at Sionic Energy for over one year. He received his PhD in Electrochemical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, and started his career at Duracell in the very early days of Li-ion battery development. In his R&D career, he has focused much of his efforts on the fundamentals of cell safety and the interactions between materials, chemistry and process, and their effect on performance and safety. During his long career in batteries he has worked on multiple battery technologies like Li/MnO2, Li/CFX, Alkaline MnO2 and Zinc/Air at Duracell, Rayovac, and EaglePicher as well as multiple start-ups. Most recently, Karthik led the Product Development organization for Implantable Medical Batteries at EaglePicher. Karthik is experienced in Research, Product and Process Development (especially electrode Development), and Pilot manufacturing.
Krishnanjan Gubba, PhD, Principal Engineer, Google
Krishna is an Engineering Director at Google Data centers, where he leads teams for invention and delivery of power and energy systems, controls, microgrids, cybersecurity and other related hardware technologies. He has strong proven experience in both industrial and utilities domain, with a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Washington State University and a Mini-MBA from Rutgers Business School. He is a recognized hands-on leader with strong focus on engineering innovation and operational excellence for mission critical infrastructure. He has developed and delivered products and projects that contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to the bottom line for industrial and utility programs. He holds 30+ patents, publications, and awards for various electric grid applications and technologies. He is passionate about identifying cutting edge industry trends, developing them and delivering innovation to Google's data centers. He also cultivates and maintains relationships with internal and external partners as a go-to technical and business leader for Google's power systems and controls infrastructure.
David Roberts, Executive Director, Libridge
David Roberts serves as Li-Bridge’s Executive Director, helping advance the public private partnership’s mission to develop a robust US supply chain. As an initiative of Argonne National Labs with sponsorship from the DOE, Li-Bridge facilitates collaboration between the federal government and the battery industry to achieve this mission. David also helps lead Applied Research Institute (ARI), a non-profit organization focused on innovation and technology initiatives supporting national security. He previously led the team that created and implemented a cohesive $1B innovation & entrepreneurship strategy for the State of Indiana. He has been CEO of lithium-ion battery companies in both the private and public-private sector, patent and legal counsel for Caterpillar, engineer with Lockheed Martin, board member of domestic and international organizations, and is a private practice patent & business attorney.
Marco Romero, Founder & CEO, Positive Materials
Marco Romero is an entrepreneur with over 40 years of experience in the technical services, mining and construction materials industries. He has held leadership roles in exploration, mine planning and operations, permitting and finance, as well as project and corporate development. He co-founded several Canadian companies, including Eldorado Gold, Polaris Materials, Delta Gold and Euro Manganese. He has received several international, national and regional awards for achievements in corporate social responsibility and environmental excellence.
Adele Rouleau, Senior Environmental Consultant, Geosyntec Consultants
The development of resilient supply chains in pursuit of in-country climate change goals and energy security has become the imperative of the century at both the national and international levels. Adele is responsible for reviewing regulatory and policy trends and risks impacting global critical mineral supply chains, from fractious geopolitical forces to the challenges of implementing effective policies. She has also completed extensive mine-level due diligence, providing an objective view of ESG and regulatory risks for critical mineral supply chains. With increasing scrutiny of how corporations operate in multiple jurisdictions, fulfilling and demonstrating high standards of ESG is no longer an option but a requirement from both a market access and investment perspective. She brings her techno-legal background and experience working with stakeholders throughout the mineral supply chain to identify effective ESG strategies in support of responsible business practices.
Robin Saam, Battery Development, Volkswagen AG
I'm a Phd Candidate working in the battery testing department at Volkswagen AG. In my work I focus on service lifetime testing and how a greater resemblance to the customer usage behavior can be achieved.
Donald Sadoway, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Materials Chemistry, MIT, CSO & Co-Founder, Pure Lithium
Donald Sadoway, a professor of materials chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has had an impressive career stemming from the influence of inspiring professors and his Ukrainian grandmother, who installed in him that to serve is a noble act. Pursuing service with a passion to change the world, Sadoway discovered engineering and has made valued contributions to the field of metallurgy. Sadoway emphasizes the importance of an idea, and it was his idea which led to the genesis of molten oxide electrolysis on his search for an inert anode. This discovery led Sadoway to a TED Talk, Time 100, and Colbert Report. Among research, Sadoway is also a passionate professor and has transformed his chemistry classroom into a link between the science, arts, and ethics. A TMS member since 1979, Sadoway notes the critical value societies offer for young professionals to present themselves and create a personal representation of their idea.
Rodrigo Salvatierra, PhD, CSO, Zeta Energy
Rodrigo Salvatierra is a chemist with more than 16 years of experience in materials designed for energy applications, including carbon nanomaterials, polymers, and metallic nanoparticles. CSO of Zeta Energy since 2018, coordinating materials and cell development. Principal Investigator of two major US government-funded projects in the development of Li-S batteries. Associate Editor and reviewer of scientific journals.
Gerald Sammer, PhD, Principal Business Development Manager, AVL List GmbH
Dr. Gerald Sammer, Principal Business Development Manager at AVL, received a M.Sc. in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering as well as a PhD in Economics. 20+ years of experience in automotive technology with focus on testing solutions. He is member of the Technical Steering Committee in the automotive standardization body ASAM.
Michael Sanders, Senior Advisor, Energy, Avicenne Energy
Mike has significant energy storage materials value chain understanding with an emphasis on lithium-ion batteries and systems with 13 years of market knowledge and relationships. Successful program leadership experience with significant business growth in ventures and existing businesses with a proven track record leading mergers and acquisition teams to enter the lithium-ion battery materials market. He joined AVICENNE in May of 2016 as a Senior Advisor. Since joining the AVICENNE team, Mike has been leading the US AVICENNE activity working with many clients holding strategy workshops, validation of growth opportunities, helping clients establish their growth plans in energy storage, and establishing M&A targets/diligence. Before joining AVICENNE, Mike had a very long career with DuPont, his most recent role was the Global Marketing Director - Energy Storage Venture where he developed significant understanding and insights for the energy storage materials market, device manufacturing, and systems while leading global marketing and customer interface efforts to establish programs to enter the $20B energy storage materials market. Executed strategic and market planning for opportunity evaluation, research, choices, and M&A activity for entry into rapidly growing new market. He has a degree in Chemistry from the University of Delaware and is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers and Electrochemical Society.
Takashi Sato, General Manager, Development Strategy Department, Mobility Energy Business Division, Panasonic Energy Corporation
Takashi Sato is General Manager of the Development Strategy Department at Panasonic Energy Co., Ltd. He has over 20 years of experience in the development of lithium-ion rechargeable batteries, contributing to various battery applications. Currently, he leads the company’s battery development strategy, aligning technical innovation with market needs. At AABC, he will discuss Panasonic’s latest initiatives in EV battery technology, with reference to current trends and challenges in the global EV market, including the new factory in the United States.
Andrew Saucer, Battery Raw Materials Analyst, Fastmarkets
Andrew Saucer is a Battery Raw Materials Analyst for Fastmarkets, specializing in North American supply chains and lithium analysis. Prior to Fastmarkets Andrew was the US Minor Metals Reporter for Argus Metals and obtained and Honors degree in Metallurgy & Materials Science from the Colorado School of Mines.
Rianne Schoeffler, Electrochemist & Battery Product Developer, Daimler Truck North America
2011 Master of Science in Engineering Physics from Technical University Munich, specialized in fuel cell and battery electrochemistry. 2011 Scientist in R&D Mercedes Benz passenger car fuel cells. 2015 Heraeus New Business Fuel Cell, lab responsible and innovation manager. 2022 Daimler Truck (Detroit Diesel Corporation) Battery cell innovation lead.
Taylor Shively, Principal Consultant, CRU Group
Taylor, a Principal Consultant with CRU Consulting, delivers targeted, actionable advice to senior decision makers and stakeholders up and down the base metals, battery materials, and aluminum value chains, emphasising sustainability trends and the critical minerals enabling the energy transition. He has worked on projects on six continents, spanning mining and metals value chains from exploration to recycling, as well as strategic decision-making support concerning supply chains and sourcing, government policy, project development, production, and marketing. Taylor holds a Masters of Science degree in Engineering and Technology Management and a Bachelors of Science degree in Economics with an area of specialisation in Engineering Physics, both from the Colorado School of Mines.
Tina Shoa, PhD, Professor Sustainable Energy Engineering, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Simon Fraser University
Dr. Tina Shoa is an Associate Professor in the School of Sustainable Energy Engineering at Simon Fraser University, specializing in battery diagnostics and intelligent battery management systems. She received her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of British Columbia in 2010. Dr. Shoa began her research career as a postdoctoral fellow and later as a Research Scientist at Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation, where she focused on electrochemical modeling and advanced characterization techniques. In 2013, she joined Cadex Electronics as Director of Research, leading initiatives in battery modeling and diagnostics that were successfully integrated into commercial battery products. Before joining SFU, Dr. Shoa served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Energy Management at the New York Institute of Technology. She holds multiple patents in battery diagnostics technologies and has authored over 30 peer-reviewed publications, including a book chapter.
Tal Sholklapper, PhD, CEO & Co-Founder, Voltaiq, Inc.
Dr. Tal Sholklapper has an extensive record of success as a cleantech engineer and entrepreneur. Prior to founding Voltaiq, he worked as the lead engineer on a DOE ARPA-E funded project at the CUNY Energy Institute, developing an ultra low-cost grid-scale battery. Before joining CUNY, Dr. Sholklapper co-founded Point Source Power, a low cost fuel-cell startup based on technology he developed while at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and UC Berkeley, where he also did his graduate work in Materials Science and Engineering. As a Materials Postdoctoral Fellow at LBNL, he successfully led the transfer of lab-scale technology to industry partners.
Steve Sloop, PhD, President, OnTo Technology LLC
Steve Sloop has pioneered comprehensive methods to improve safety and efficiency in recycling lithium-ion batteries and materials. These include deactivation of lithium-ion batteries to eliminate hazards in transportation and storage; electrolyte extraction; electrode harvesting and separation; and cathode-healing™, which is a direct method to reintroduce lithium, structure, and performance to scrap electrodes.
Kandler Smith, PhD, Electrochemical Modeling & Data Science Team Lead, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Kandler Smith leads the battery computational modeling team in NREL's Center for Integrated Mobility Sciences. His energy storage research projects focus on predicting and extending the lifetime of lithium-ion batteries. He also applies machine-learning techniques for model identification, fast charging, and the computational design and multi-scale modeling of electrochemical/thermal/mechanical-coupled phenomena in lithium-ion batteries. Kandler holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Penn State University.
Ian Smith, Battery Product Manager, Energy & Industrial Automation, UL Solutions
Mr. Smith is the manager of the Electrified Powertrain section in the Powertrain Engineering Division of Southwest Research Institute. He oversees a team of engineers focused on conducting testing, research, and development on lithium-ion batteries to improve safety, performance, and life. His team also conducts testing, research, and benchmarking of PEM fuel cell technologies as well as electric motors, inverters, and vehicles. Mr. Smith is also the program manager for the Electrified Vehicle and Energy Storage Evaluation (EVSESE) Consortium. The work conducted in this consortium provides an assessment of state-of-the-art technologies in electrified vehicles and lithium-ion batteries and conducts research on topics like fast charging, immersed (dielectric) coolant, and lithium plating prognostics.
Carl Smith, Board Member, Bluewater Battery Logistics
Mr. Smith headed Call2Recycle, North America’s most successful consumer battery recycling program from 2008 until retiring on January 1, 2021. As CEO / President of this battery collection and recycling organization, he oversaw the organization’s strategy, its marketing efforts, and its various stakeholder relationships. He is known for his deep understanding of the battery collection and recycling market, product stewardship and its impact on markets. Upon his retirement from Call2Recycle, he served as Acting CEO of the Global Electronics Council which operates EPEAT, the sustainability ecolabel for electronics, from 2022 - 2023. Mr. Smith has extensive experience in strategic marketing, general management, and environmental leadership. He has held senior positions in marketing and general management with Fortune 500 companies, environmental organizations, and major health care companies. Along with advanced degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in public policy, he also has considerable experience in Washington D.C., including on Capitol Hill. He currently serves as an Advisor and Director of several battery and battery recycling organizations around the world.
Venkat Srinivasan, PhD, Director, Center for Collaborative Energy Storage Science, Argonne National Laboratory
Venkat Srinivasan is a Senior Scientist at Argonne National Laboratory (LBNL), the Director of the Argonne Collaborative Center for Energy Storage Science (ACCESS) and Deputy Director of the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR, the battery “Hub”). His research interest is in developing next-generation batteries for use in vehicle and stationary applications.
Rengaswamy Srinivasan, PhD, Principal Professional Staff Scientist, Research & Exploratory Development, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
Rengaswamy Srinivasan, Ph.D. is the primary inventor of the noninvasive Battery Internal Temperature Sensing-Battery Management System (BITS-BMS). He is the primary inventor on 22 US and international patents; 8 on BITS-BMS and 14 on batteries and corrosion. He has 10 publications in peer-reviewed journals on BITS-BMS. He is a member of the UL Research Institute Electrochemical Safety Research Institue advisory board; and a member of the NTSB-UL Battery Safety Counsel.
Ionel Stefan, CTO, R&D, Amprius Technologies
Ionel Stefan joined Amprius in its early days in 2009 as a Senior Scientist, initially to lead electrochemistry for silicon nanowire anode-based lithium-ion batteries. Dr. Stefan now leads Amprius' development of silicon nanowire electrochemistry, cell technology - including material design, cell design and engineering - and product development. At Amprius, he has served as Principal Investigator on multiple projects, including NASA, Army, DOE and USABC-funded research and development efforts.
Dr. Stefan received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Case Western Reserve University (2002) with research activities focused on the development of new materials and devices for energy production and storage.
Philip Stephenson, PhD, General Manager, PACCAR Technical Center
Dr. Philip Stephenson is General Manager, PACCAR Technical Center. He has held this position since 2012. Dr. Stephenson leads teams responsible for advanced engineering, and is globally responsible for validation for PACCAR and its truck brands, Peterbilt, Kenworth and DAF. Before joining PACCAR, he worked as Director of Product Development and Engineering at A123 Systems where he led engineering teams in the US and Germany. Dr. Stephenson was also Chief Engineer for product development and validation at automotive supplier Behr in Michigan. His experience also includes 7 years with computational fluid dynamics software developers Fluent and CD-adapco Group, and diesel engine research experience at Daimler-Benz Research Institute in Stuttgart, Germany. Dr. Stephenson earned a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin (Engine Research Center) and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Arizona State University.
Sarah Stockwell, PhD, Conference Producer, Cambridge EnerTech
Since joining Cambridge EnerTech in Feb 2024, Sarah has worked within the recycling, mining and mineral processing areas of the battery value chain. She has industry experience in power supply and conversion for clean energy applications, Li-ion battery cathode research, oil and gas and mineral processing. Sarah holds a PhD in Materials Science & Metallurgy from the University of Cambridge and a BEng in Mineral Engineering from the University of Leeds.
Evelina Stoikou, Senior Associate, Energy Storage, Bloomberg New Energy Finance
Evelina Stoikou is a Senior Associate at BloombergNEF in New York, covering energy storage technologies and the lithium battery supply chain. Her research provides insights on the upstream battery value chain including technology, prices, markets and policies. She leads the company's research on battery prices and costs, battery startups, and policy landscape in North America. Prior to joining BNEF Evelina worked in management consulting, and she holds a dual degree in chemistry and engineering from Dartmouth and Vassar College.
Dee Strand, PhD, CSO, R&D, Wildcat Discovery Technologies, Inc.
Dr. Dee Strand is Chief Scientific Officer at Wildcat Discovery Technologies. Dr. Strand has over twenty years of experience in materials research, development, and commercialization, primarily in the areas of energy storage and electronic applications. Prior to joining Wildcat in 2013, Dr. Strand served as a Research Fellow at Dow Chemical, where she was the technical lead in Dow Energy Materials, as well as the Principal Investigator on external research programs with universities and national labs on battery materials. Dr. Strand also has extensive experience in patent analysis and technical due diligence of new technologies. Dr. Strand completed her Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, under the supervision of Professor John Schrag. Her Ph.D. research focused on rheology and birefringence of polymeric solutions.
Masanori Takagi, Senior Engineer, Battery Development, Chemistry & Materials Engineering, Nissan Tech Center, North America
Masanori Takagi is a Senior R&D Engineer at Nissan Technical Center North America. He joined Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. in 2018 and has been engaged in the development of battery systems for xEVs. He specializes in battery system development and is currently working on next generation xEV technologies in Farmington Hills, MI.
Tanvir Tanim, Battery R&D Engineer and Group Lead, Energy Storage Technology Group, Idaho National Laboratory
Tanvir R. Tanim is an R&D engineer and the group lead for the Energy Storage Technology Group in the Energy Storage and Advanced Transportation Department at the Idaho National Laboratory. His research focuses on enabling next-generation high-energy and power lithium-ion batteries, developing advanced algorithms for reliable life estimation, and expanding and/or verifying advanced diagnostics and prognostics of these high energy and power batteries for electric vehicle applications. Between 2014 and 2021, he authored or co-authored 25 peer-reviewed scientific articles and patents. Tanim can be reached by email at tanvir.tanim@inl.gov
Venkataraman Thangadurai, PhD, Chair, Energy & Faraday Institution; Adjunct Professor, School of Chemistry, University of St. Andrews
Dr. Venkataraman Thangadurai is a full professor and Chair in Energy at the School of Chemistry, University of St Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom. He is the inaugural Faraday Adjunct Professorial Fellow at the University of St Andrews. He is elected Fellows of the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK), Royal Society of Canada, and the Electrochemical Society (USA). He has published more than 260 peer-reviewed papers in journals (H-index of 69). He has received the Keith Laidler Award from the Canadian Chemical Society (CSC) in 2016 and Research Excellence Award in Materials Chemistry from CSC in 2021. Dr. Thangadurai is founder of two start-ups based on his lithium-ion electrolytes research. His current research activities include the discovery of novel solid-state electrolytes and electrodes for advanced batteries and fuel cells.
Carl Thoemmes, Business Deveopment Director, Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials
As the Business Development Director at Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials, Carl Thoemmes leads commercialization of Orbia's domestic production of Custom Electrolytes, fluorinated electrolyte materials, and LiPF6 electrolyte salt for a wide range of battery applications and customer market segments. Having previously worked at both Flex and Inventus Power, Carl has a unique breadth of battery industry experience spanning raw material development, cell design, pack-level, and system-level integrations across a wide range of chemistries and applications.
Katelyn Tomaszewski, Project Manager, CALSTART
I have been actively involved in advancing battery technologies, recycling, and end-of-life management strategies throughout my entire career. My work has focused on the sustainable recycling of EV batteries and the development of circular economy strategies. Currently, I am collaborating with the FTA on research related to fire suppression and residual values for electric bus batteries, all while supporting efforts toward sustainable electrification.
Antoni Tong, PhD, CEO, Smartville
Antoni Tong, PhD, is the founder and CEO of Smartville, a company developing solutions for high-value, scalable EV battery circularity. He is a leading expert in battery energy storage system control, management, and their integration with grid modernization, renewable power sources, and electrified transportation. Dr. Tong's previous work includes serving as a research scientist at the University of California, San Diego, where he led projects on the integration of advanced energy storage systems across various emerging battery technologies. He also pioneered research, development, and commercialization of EV battery repurposing solutions, leading projects with Nissan, BMW, Cummins, Honda, and Pacific Gas & Electric.
Loraine Torres-Castro, PhD, Battery Safety Lead, Sandia National Laboratories
Loraine Torres-Castro is the battery safety lead for vehicle electrification and grid energy storage at Sandia National Labs. The research that Loraine oversees focuses on evaluating batteries well outside of manufacturer recommended specifications and the severity of any catastrophic thermal runaway. In the Battery Abuse Testing Laboratory, her efforts are focused on understanding the mechanisms that lead to energy storage system safety incidents, and developing mitigation strategies for single-cell and system failures. Loraine has innovated abuse testing by targeting problems using a predictive approach (early detection for intervention) to eliminate failure rather than reacting to it. Her work has led to developments in advanced abuse testing, including a fundamental understanding of cell failure, to facilitate the design of safer energy storage systems. Her expertise and commitment to safety science have led to multiple cross-collaborations among sponsoring organizations, including the Department of Energy (Office of Electricity, the Vehicle Technologies Office, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy), Department of Transportation, and NASA. On behalf of the Vehicle Technologies Office, she authored and maintains the US Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) Battery Abuse Testing Manual, widely used by car manufacturers to evaluate new technologies. Loraine is also a member of the USABC, for which she provides technical advice and recommendations.
Scott Trimboli, PhD, Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
Professor Trimboli’s research focuses on development of control strategies for the management of high-capacity battery systems such as found in electric vehicles. He is currently involved in multiple projects where he leads investigation on battery modeling and the application of model-predictive control to improve the performance and extend the lifetime of lithium ion battery cells. Other research efforts include: reduced-order modeling methods, modeling of lithium-ion degradation mechanisms, empirical and physics-based modeling of lithium-ion battery thermal properties, as well as predictive methods for power estimation.
Francois Usseglio-Viretta, PhD, Battery Researcher, Transportation & Hydrogen Systems Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
No bio available.
Matthias Vetter, PhD, Energy Storage Chief Expert, Huawei Nuremberg Research Center
Electrical Engineer; Since 03/2024, Energy Storage Chief Expert at Huawei Nuremberg Research Center. Unit 02/2024 various positions at Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE: Head of Department Electrical Energy Storage, Head of Department PV Off-grid Solutions and Battery System Technology, Head of Group Off-grid Power Supplies. Coordinator for Stationary Battery Storage at Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE; Contact Person for Battery Systems at Fraunhofer Battery Alliance; Spokesman of R&D Advisory Board of German Energy Storage Systems Association (BVES); Technical Advisor of Working Group “Stationary Applications and Integration” of Batteries European Partnership Association / Batteries Europe; Member of Steering Committee of Batteries European Partnership Association / Batteries Europe.
Steven Visco, PhD, CEO & CTO, PolyPlus Battery
Steven Visco is the Chief Executive Officer, CTO, and founder of PolyPlus Battery Company in Berkeley, California, as well as a Guest Scientist in the Materials Science Division at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Steven J. Visco currently holds 127 U.S. patents, more than 200 international patents and has authored over 80 journal articles, as well as books, monographs and other publications. Dr. Visco graduated with a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Massachusetts in 1977 and received his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Brown University in 1982. Dr. Visco then joined the staff at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory as a Principal Investigator in the Materials Sciences Division in 1984 where his research interests have included advanced batteries and fuel cells. Steven Visco co-founded PolyPlus Battery Company in 1991. In 2013 Dr. Visco was selected by the City of Berkeley for a “Visionary Award” for his work in next generation batteries. Steve also serves on the Technical Advisory the CIC Energigune Institute in Miñano, Spain and was awarded the 2011 International Battery Association Award for “Outstanding Contributions to the Development of Lithium-Air and Lithium-Water Batteries.” PolyPlus Battery Company was selected by TIME magazine for its 50 Best Inventions of 2011 Issue, and was selected for a Gold Edison Award in 2012. In May 2015 Dr. Visco was elected a Fellow of the Electrochemical Society.
Bairav S Vishnugopi, Research Assistant Professor, Purdue University
Bairav's research focuses on understanding the mechanistic origin and evolution of reactive-transport, chemo-mechanical, and thermo-electrochemical interactions in porous architectures and interfaces for energy storage and conversion.
Venkat Viswanathan, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
Venkat Viswanathan is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. Viswanathan’s research focus is on identifying the scientific principles governing material design, inorganic, organic, and biomaterials, for novel energy conversion and storage routes. The material design is carried out through a suite of computational methods being developed in his group, and validated by experiments. Some key research thrusts include identifying principles of electrolytes design (organic material) that can tune electrode catalysis, identification of new anode, cathode (inorganic materials), and electrolyte materials for next generation batteries, and new electrocatalysts (inorganic) and biomaterials for energy storage and separation applications. In addition to material design, his group is involved in several cross-cutting areas such as battery controls, electric vehicle security, and GPU accelerated computing. Viswanathan received the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award in 2019, Sloan Research Fellowship in Chemistry in 2018, the National Science Foundation CAREER award in 2016, the American Chemical Society PRF Young Investigator Award in 2014, and the Electrochemical Society Daniel Cubicciotti Award in 2010. He was a finalist for MIT TR Innovators Under 35 in 2014, and was an Electrochemical Society Herbert H. Uhligh Summer Fellow in 2009.
Michael Wang, PhD, Group Center Director & Distinguished Fellow, Systems Assessment Center, Argonne National Laboratory
Dr. Michael Wang is a Distinguished Fellow and director of the Systems Assessment Center, Energy Systems Division at Argonne National Laboratory. Dr. Wang leads the ongoing development of Argonne’s GREET software model for life cycle analysis of vehicle technologies and transportation fuels. The GREET model and his research results have been used by regulatory agencies such as the California Air Resources Board, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to develop automotive fuel regulations. In addition to his work in the U.S., Dr. Wang has collaborated with government agencies, automotive companies, energy companies, universities and research institutions in Asia and Europe. Dr. Wang is a fellow of the Society of Automotive Engineers and a member of the Transportation Energy Committee of the Transportation Research Board. He served on the boards of NGOs, companies, and Chinese automotive research organizations, and is on the editorial boards of four international journals. Dr. Wang has over 270 publications in the areas of transportation energy and environment effects. He holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Environmental Science from University of California at Davis and a B.S. in Agricultural Meteorology from the China Agricultural University, Beijing.
Keven Wang, Co-Founder & CEO, UnitX
Keven Wang is the co-founder & CEO of UnitX, a robotics company automating visual inspection in factories. Keven previously led the desktop software team at RelateIQ (acquired by Salesforce for $390M). Keven graduated with an MS in Computer Science from Stanford University, and a BSE in Computer Science from University of Michigan.
Donghai Wang, Professor, Brown Foundation Chair, Lyle School of Engineering, Southern Methodist University
No bio available.
John Warner, PhD, Chief Customer Officer, American Battery Solutions
Dr. John Warner is a well-recognized figure in the battery industry. He is an authority on EV batteries, an experienced sales, business development, strategic marketing, and product management executive with more than 35 years of combined automotive and battery industry experience and author of three successful books on EV batteries. Today he serves as one of the co-founders and Chief Customer Officer for American Battery Solutions, a lithium-ion battery pack manufacturer based in Michigan and Ohio where he is focused in on- and off-road mobility battery development. He is Founder and President of Warner Energy Consulting LLC. Previously, he served as Chief Marketing Officer for Ener1, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for XALT Energy, Director of Sales & Marketing for Magna Steyr Battery Systems NA, Director of Product Management at Boston-Power, and nearly 20 years in the auto industry, much of that with General Motors where he served in a wide variety of leadership roles. Dr. Warner published his first book “The Handbook of Lithium-Ion Battery Pack Design” in 2015 with a second edition published in May 2024. His second book, “Lithium-Ion Chemistries: A Primer” was published in 2019. His books focus on simplifying the complex topics around battery chemistries making it easily understandable by a wide audience for both entry level engineers and all non-engineering professionals.
Manuel Wieser, CTO, AnteoTech Ltd.
Manuel has a passion for innovation and international collaborations, with areas of technical expertise that include batteries, materials science, and nanotechnology. Working in the lithium-ion battery industry, Manuel has gained extensive experience in lithium-ion battery R&D and technology commercialization, while being instrumental in taking technology from lab scale to pilot production ready. As Head of the Energy Division at AnteoTech his work is focused on enabling high silicon content anodes leading the development of the AnteoTech’s silicon anode program. With a Master of Engineering in Materials and a Master of Business in Entrepreneurship, Manuel is skilled at leading technology development as well as commercialization activities and has participated in several successful substantial capital raises. Previously, Manuel led and pioneered the development of super lightweight, metallized-polymer, current collector technology, for lithium-ion batteries and next generation lithium metal anodes.
Anna Windmueller, PhD, Head of Department - Batteries, Institute of Energy Technologies IET 1, Forschungszentrum Juelich
Dr. Anna Windmueller is head of the Batteries Department within the Institute of Energy Technologies (IET-1) at Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ), in Germany. She received her Ph.D. in 2019 from RWTH Aachen University, Germany, specializing in the synthesis and analysis of active materials for Li-ion and solid-state batteries. Previously, she was trained in mineralogy and crystallography at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg. She joined IET-1 in 2021 to focus on post-Li-ion battery technologies, a field she further developed as a visiting scientist at the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology with an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship and a National Science and Technology Council Grant in 2023/24. Currently, Dr. Windmueller is involved in various Li- and Na-based battery projects with a focus on solid-state batteries. Her research interests focus on the development of next-generation materials and cells for efficient and sustainable battery applications, with a strong emphasis on understanding the structure-property relationships that underpin their performance.
Martin Winter, PhD, Director & Professor, Electrochemical Energy Technology, University of Muenster
Martin Winter holds a professorship for “Materials Science, Energy and Electrochemistry” at Muenster University, Germany. He is a Director of the MEET Battery Research Center at Muenster University and of the Helmholtz-Institute Muenster (HI MS) “Ionics in Energy Storage”, a branch of Forschungszentrum Jülich. Martin Winter is the spokesperson of German Battery Research. He holds several president and chairmen positions in scientific societies and is the recipient of more than 50 awards and recognitions.
Craig Wohlers, General Manager, Cambridge EnerTech
Since 2014, Craig has served as Executive Director of Conferences for Cambridge Enertech, with primary responsibilities for scientific conference organization and program development within energy market sectors with conferences based in the United States, Asia, and Europe. Previously to joining CII, from its inception in 1998, Craig was the Founder and President of the Knowledge Foundation, a scientific conference and publishing company until it was acquired by CII in 2014. Additionally, Craig was a Director at IBC USA (now Informa), and has previous experience in conference development, publishing and techincal marketing.
Zhimin Xi, PhD, Professor, Systems Engineering, Rutgers University
Dr. Zhimin Xi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Rutgers University - New Brunswick, where he also contributes as the Founder and CEO of Reliable Autonomy LLC. He earned his BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Science and Technology Beijing in 2001 and 2004, respectively, followed by a PhD in Mechanical Engineering with a specialization in Reliability Engineering from the University of Maryland - College Park in 2010. Dr. Xi's scholarly work primarily focuses on the theoretical development of reliability engineering, optimization under uncertainty, and model validation, particularly in applications related to autonomous vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and additive manufacturing. He has authored over 90 publications in esteemed journals and peer-reviewed conference proceedings, contributing significantly to the field. His research endeavors have received funding from prominent organizations such as the National Science Foundation, DARPA, and Ford Motor Company. Throughout his career, Dr. Xi has been recognized with various accolades, including the 2021 ASME Design Automation Young Investigator Award and the 2016 DARPA Young Faculty Award. His research excellence is further evidenced by multiple Best Paper Awards from the ASME Design Automation Conference. In his capacity as CEO of Reliable Autonomy, Dr. Xi has spearheaded the company to significant accomplishments, including winning the Grand Prize at the American-Made Data-Driven Distributed (3D) Solar Visibility Prize in 2025, as well as securing first place in the American-Made Net Load Forecasting Prize in 2023, and being named a semifinalist in the American-Made Solar Prize Round 7 in 2024. Dr. Xi actively engages in academic service as an Associate Editor for the ASME Journal of Mechanical Design and is a member of professional societies, including the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IISE), the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
Albert Xiao, PhD, Senior Researcher, Nissan Motor Co Ltd.
Dr. Albert W. Xiao completed his PhD in battery materials at the University of Oxford with Prof. Mauro Pasta. After working in both the academic and start-up worlds, Dr. Xiao moved to Japan in 2022 and joined Nissan Motor Corporation Ltd. as a team lead in charge of developing next generation cathode materials for All-Solid-State Batteries. From the beginning of fiscal year 2025, Dr. Xiao was promoted to a new position as senior researcher in charge of the experimental battery materials researcg at the new Nissan Advanced Technical Center in Silicon Valley.
Gleb Yushin, PhD, Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology
Gleb Yushin is a Co-Founder & CTO of Sila Nanotechnologies and serves as a Professor of Materials Science at Georgia Institute of Technology and the Editor-in-Chief for Materials Today. Gleb has co-authored over 170 peer-reviewed publications and over 100 patents. For his contributions to the development of energy storage materials, Gleb has received numerous awards and was recognized as one of the world’s most influential scientific minds by the Electrochemical Society. Gleb holds BS and MS degrees in Physics from Polytechnic Institute and a PhD in Materials Science from North Carolina State University.
John Zhang, PhD, CTO/CSO, Polypore International
John is the CTO/CSO of Polypore International (Celgard)/Asahi Kasei. He received IBA (International Battery Association) Technology Award 2024 for his invention of Ceramic Coated Separator and Outstanding Contribution in Understanding of Internal Shorts Events of Li-ion Cells that lead the broad application of Ceramic Coated Separator (CCS). This technology has made a significant contribution to the evolution of humanity (SVP/CTO Panasonic). He is recognized as the leading authority on lithium-ion battery safety and separators. Through IEEE, he leads in establishing lithium-ion battery industry standards (P1625, P1725). John pioneered the Sulfide SSE with ~ 40 papers (1984-1991). He has chaired and/or organized more than 60 international conferences and delivered more than 120 invited keynote or plenary speeches at various international conferences. John has published more than 300 patents, papers, and books. John received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He also attended Sloan School of MIT.
Jingyi Zhang, PhD, Energy System Analyst, Argonne National Laboratory
Jingyi Zhang is an Energy Systems Analyst at Argonne National Laboratory, specializing in life cycle assessment (LCA) and renewable energy systems. She holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University. Her past work includes LCA of all-solid-state batteries and material flow analysis of battery recycling. Jingyi is actively involved in efforts to understand Battery Passport LCA frameworks across different countries and explore how these insights can inform the development of a potential US Battery Passport LCA framework.
Jingyuan Zhao, PhD, University of California Davis
Dr. Jingyuan (Andy) Zhao is a research scientist at the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis, where his work focuses on AI-driven battery diagnostics, health prognostics, and scalable algorithms for real-world electric mobility applications. He previously served as Chief Engineer at BYD, leading the large-scale deployment of diagnostic systems across electric vehicles. His research bridges data-driven machine learning, battery system modeling, and edge-to-cloud implementation to enhance battery safety and reliability. Dr. Zhao has authored publications in top-tier journals and collaborates extensively with academic and industry partners to advance next-generation intelligent energy storage solutions.
