Sankhya Hirani
Department: Materials Science and Engineering Advisor: Peter Pauzauskie Anion battery systems have the potential of comparable performance and lower cost than other leading battery materials. The lower cost is possible with more earth-abundant material options. There is a gap in our understanding of the solid-state electronic and ionic transport in some of these battery systems. I will be investigating this behavior to better understand key mechanisms in battery performance....
Khoa Ngo
Department of Chemistry Advisor: David Ginger My project is studying the kinetics of oxidation in organic mixed ionic electronic conductors (OMIECs), a class of polymers with the unique ability to conduct ions and electrons simultaneously. This dual conductivity makes OMIECs desirable for a range of applications including neuromorphic computing, bioelectronics, sensor technology, and battery storage. Understanding the kinetics and the underlying conditions that control them in these materials will be vital for rationally designing future materials....
Fubin (Sophie) Song
Department: Chemistry Advisor: Dianne Xiao I am a third-year chemistry Ph.D. student in the lab of Professor Dianne Xiao. My research focuses on developing redox mediators for oxidative electrocatalysis. Redox mediators enable electrochemical transformations to occur at milder potentials, allow broader substrate scopes and increase selectivities of reactions compared to traditional electrochemical methods. Participation in CEI will be a tremendous opportunity for me to grow as a researcher because through which I can work with talented scientists across a variety of disciplines and share my knowledge back with the scientific community. I'm also excited to get involved in more outreach events through CEI....
Lucy Miller
Department: Chemistry Faculty Advisor: Matt Golder I am a second year Ph.D. student in the Department of Chemistry, where I am studying polymer chemistry in Professor Matt Golder’s laboratory. My research is focused on the development of more delicately controlled cyclic polymerization processes with the goal of synthesizing cyclic block polymers. Ultimately, these polymers will have applications as polyelectrolytes in lithium-ion batteries and should be more stable and processable than their linear counterparts. Outside of work, I spend a lot of time in the mountains hiking and backpacking, as well as dancing and reading....
Minh Duong
Department: Materials Science & Engineering Advisor: Jun Liu As a graduate student at the University of Washington Materials Science & Engineering, I am pursuing my PhD in the field of rechargeable batteries, with a focus on applying machine learning to accelerate the development and optimization of novel materials, particularly electrolytes for lithium-metal batteries. My passion for battery research stems from my belief that sustainable energy is one of the most pressing challenges and opportunities of our time, and that innovative solutions are needed to address the environmental, social, and economic impacts of fossil fuels. I am motivated by the potential of machine learning to unlock new...
Haiely Akins
Department: Chemistry Faculty Advisor: Alexandra Velian Research Statement: Designing better, more energy-efficient catalysts is crucial for reducing worldwide energy consumption. Towards this goal, I am looking to create complex, atomically precise catalytic sites on the surface of material supports. This combines the stability and longevity of traditional material catalysts with the tunability and mechanistic insight associated with small molecule catalysts. My chosen support – black phosphorus – is ideal for this goal as it has an abundance of reactive electron lone pairs on its surface primed to form bonds. Currently, I am investigating the range of complexity accessible on the surface of black phosphorus via a...
Rebecca Vincent
CEI Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow Rebecca Vincent is co-advised by CEI director and chemical engineering professor Dan Schwartz and chemical engineering professor Lilo Pozzo as she develops non-destructive Li-ion battery diagnostics for evaluation of the health of electric vehicles and grid storage systems. She also collaborates with CEI Affiliate Faculty Dr. Jie Xiao, the leader of the Advanced Battery Fabrication facility at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and a major contributor to the US DOE Battery500 consortium. Vincent earned her Ph.D. in Materials at the University of California-Santa Barbara as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow. Her work with UCSB professor Ram Seshadri as a member...
Shijing Sun
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Dr. Shijing Sun's research lies at the crossroads of materials science, data science, and robotics, driving interdisciplinary studies into autonomous materials design for clean energy technologies. With a vision to address global energy, climate, and sustainability challenges, Dr. Sun’s interests span from understanding the fundamental structure-function relationships of inorganic materials to tool development incorporating artificial intelligence for amplified research capacities and efficiency. She joined UW from the Toyota Research Institute where she worked on EV energy storage. She previously worked at MIT applying data science to thin film photovoltaics. Email | Website | LinkedIn...
Juan Antonio Vazquez Marquez
Department: Chemistry Faculty Advisor: Alshakim Nelson My current research in professor Al Nelson’s lab is focused on utilizing photoinitiated base-catalyzed polymerizations in vat photopolymerizations. Photobase generators could enable the use of a broader scope of monomers in vat photopolymerization. The resin I am currently developing uses an ionic liquid as the diluent which imparts the printed object ionic conductivity. This ionic conductivity allows for the material to function as a separation membrane in batteries. In the future, I plan to incorporate lithium salts to use this material in a semi-solid lithium battery. Developing new energy storage systems is important for the transition towards a clean energy grid....
Anthony Romero
Department: Materials Science & Engineering Faculty Advisor: Jun Liu, Jihui Yang My name is Anthony Romero, a second year Materials Science and Engineering PhD student advised by Prof Jun Liu and Prof Jihui Yang. My research is focused around integrating Li metal into the negative electrode in Li-ion batteries. If done correctly, we can increase the theoretical gravimetric capacity ~10x versus industrially standardized carbon-based negative electrodes. However, there are many scientific/engineering challenges with using Li metal; the most prominent being uneven plating and stripping during repeated cycling – which ultimately leads to premature and/or unexpected cell failure. Various approaches currently exist to address this problem, ranging...
Connor Dalton
My research is broadly focused on synthetic methods of introducing porosity to semiconducting or magnetically ordered materials. More specifically I focus on the incorporation of silsesquioxane 'pillars' between layers of two-dimensional perovskites. Introducing porosity into perovskites increases surface area for applications in energy storage and catalysis and allows for post-synthetic modification through intercalation of small molecules. Advisor: Doug Reed — Chemistry...
Yeu (Helen) Chen
Department: Physics Faculty Advisor: Gerald Seidler I am a third-year graduate student in the physics PhD program, currently working in Dr. Gerald Seidler's group. Our team specializes in x-ray spectroscopy for the study of material properties, and I have been actively involved in designing and building advanced instruments for this purpose. My specific research focus centers on the characterization of battery electrolytes using x-ray spectroscopy. I am passionate about contributing to advancements in clean energy research and am thrilled to be a part of the CEI community. I look forward to expanding my expertise and exploring new avenues within the field of clean energy research....