A symposium on innovative strategies and partnerships to accelerate a scalable and equitable clean energy future in Washington and beyond
When: Tuesday, November 10, 2026; doors open 8:30 am, program 9:00 am–5:00 pm, reception 5:00 pm
Where: Husky Union Building South Ballroom and Lyceum, 4001 E Stevens Way NE, Seattle, WA
Who: Leaders and innovators from academia, industry, government, philanthropy, and our communities
At the inaugural Powering Progress, Changing the Climate Symposium, hosted by the University of Washington (UW) Clean Energy Institute (CEI), participants will explore how to:
- Accelerate deployment of transformative clean energy technologies and policies for the public good
- Forge cross-sector alliances that are agile, inclusive, and built to last
- Reignite leadership commitment to clean energy innovation
Register for Powering Progress, Changing the Climate 2026 via UW TouchNet.
UW faculty, students, and staff: email uwcei@uw.edu before registering.
*More speakers and schedule to be announced.
Keynote
Institute for Protein Design Director and Davis Endowed Professor, UW
Nobel laureate in Chemistry (2024)
Featured Speakers
Vice President of Sustainable Energy, Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM)
A pioneer in high-throughput materials science
Fortinet Founders Professor and Sustainability Accelerator Director, Stanford University
Founder of a billion-dollar battery startup; winner of U.S. DOE Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award (2021) and MRS Medal (2020)
Founder, North Cascades Strategies
A visionary leader in climate investing and philanthropy
International Institute for Nanotechnology Director and Rathmann Professor, Northwestern University
A world leader in nanotechnology research; Kavli Prize awardee (2024)
President and CEO, EFI Foundation; former U.S. Secretary of Energy
A national leader in energy innovation policy
SUNY Distinguished Professor and Knapp Chair in Energy and the Environment, Stony Brook University; Brookhaven National Laboratory
U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation awardee (2009)
UW Experts
Washington Research Foundation Innovation Professor in Clean Energy, UW
A leader in advanced manufacturing, including 3-D electrodes for batteries
Lloyd E. and Florence M. West Endowed Professor, UW
A leader in nanomaterials for energy, optoelectronic, and quantum technologies
CEI Chief Scientist and B. Seymour Rabinovitch Endowed Chair, UW; PNNL Lab Fellow
A leader in thin-film solar and quantum dots
Larry R. Dalton Endowed Chair and Associate Dean for Research in the College of Arts & Sciences, UW; PNNL Lab Fellow
A leader in computational chemistry and physics; ACS Jack Simons Award winner (2024)
Washington Clean Energy Testbeds Technical Director and Washington Research Foundation Professor of Clean Energy, UW
A leading researcher and entrepreneur in advanced manufacturing for electronic and energy devices
Boeing-Roundhill Professor, UW
A leader in autonomous labs for energy materials research
CEI Director and Boeing-Sutter Professor, UW
A leader in modeling batteries and energy systems; Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring recipient (2018)
Emerging Leaders
Assistant Professor, Princeton University; Co-founder and Chief Scientist, Optigon
A semiconductors researcher and a CEI Graduate Fellow
Co-founder and CEO, easyXAFS
An innovator in tools for materials R&D and a CEI Graduate Fellow
Senior Data Engineer, Cell Manufacturing Analytics, Tesla
A battery startup founder, a Forbes 30 Under 30: Energy (2018) honoree, and a CEI Graduate Fellow
Federal Policy and Program Alignment Manager, Washington State Department of Commerce
An energy policy expert with a background in solar research and a CEI Graduate Fellow
Registration
Register for Powering Progress, Changing the Climate 2026 via UW TouchNet.
UW faculty, students, and staff: email uwcei@uw.edu before registering.
November 9, 10:00 am–12:00 pm: Attendees are invited to tour CEI’s open-access lab facility, the Washington Clean Energy Testbeds.
Sponsorship
To inquire about sponsorship opportunities, contact CEI Associate Director of Advancement Angie Prosek at aprosek@uw.edu.
About CEI
CEI was founded in 2013 with funds from the state of Washington. Our mission is to accelerate the adoption of a scalable and equitable clean energy future that will improve the health and economy of our state, nation, and world. To accomplish this, CEI supports the advancement of next-generation solar energy and battery materials and devices, as well as their integration with systems and the grid. The Institute creates the ideas and educates the people needed to generate these innovations, while facilitating the pathways to bring them to market.
About the Testbeds
CEI created the Washington Clean Energy Testbeds to accelerate the development, scale-up, and adoption of novel clean energy and climate technologies. The Testbeds were established in 2017 with support from Washington state, the Washington Research Foundation, and private donors. Our open-access facility was founded on the principle that users retain all intellectual property. With advanced capabilities for prototyping, testing, and demonstrating new technologies, the Testbeds support innovation from materials synthesis to pilot-scale manufacturing. Our expert staff offer customized training for researchers to operate equipment and work on-site in Seattle, and our remote user program enables scientists and companies from around the world to take advantage of best-in-class tools and techniques. The facility also houses meeting and office space where users from academia and business work and collaborate.