Interviews

Aakash Ahuja

Research Associate at Cornell University in the Kalra Research Group

Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay

Current work: Electrochemical and materials-level mechanisms that govern electrode behavior in lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries with a focus on interfacial engineering, degradation, and thermal safety; a systems-level view of how materials choices translate into real cell performance.

David Lewis

Executive Director of Save The Bay

B.A. in Politics and American Studies at Princeton University

Current work: Leads regional policy campaigns, public advocacy, and environmental initiatives focused on protecting San Francisco Bay, restoring shoreline wetlands, and reducing plastic and trash pollution.

Marcos Farpón

Postdoctoral Associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Román Research Group

Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the Institute of Chemical Technology in the Polytechnic University of Valencia

Research interests: Design of continuous catalytic processes for the conversion of lignin into Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), polyolefin deconstruction processes into high-added value chemicals (olefins) and fuels; overall designing catalytic processes and novel materials to convert plastics and biomass into high-value chemicals and fuels.

Jintong Gao

Postdoctoral Fellow at the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability

Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Research interests: Passive, solar-powered desalination approach for cheap clean water production, sorption-based high-density energy storage for build heating and cooling; these works were recognized as the Best Inventions of 2023 (TIME Magazine) and Top 10 MIT Research Stories of 2023.

Michael Vega

Postdoctoral Fellow at the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability

Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines

Research interests: Investigating how soil microbial biogeochemistry and elemental cycles can be harnessed to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and environmental contaminants in agricultural and aquatic systems.

Anika Promi

Postdoctoral Researcher at the Molecular Foundry at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Ph.D. in Chemistry at Virginia Tech

Research interests: Materials synthesis especially in oxide and cathode materials (Li- and Na-ion systems) using synchrotron-based techniques as well as designing AI-learnable synthesis workflows by integrating experimental provenance, mechanistic understanding, and advanced characterization to enable predictive materials synthesis.

Bhavik Bashi

Julie Ann Wrigley Professor in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University

Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Research interests: Developing systematic methods for sustainable engineering, life cycle assessment, and circular economy strategies that integrate industrial systems with natural ecosystems (Techno-Ecological Synergy) to guide industries toward net-zero emissions.

Henry Moise

Chemical Engineering Ph.D. student in the Cargnello and Majumdar group at Stanford University

B.S. in Chemical Engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara

Research interests: Thermochemical conversion technologies for sustainable hydrogen production and high-value carbon material synthesis.

Afolabi Olayiwola

Materials Chemist and Researcher, Ph.D. Student at Virginia Tech's Department of Chemistry

M.S. in Chemical Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Research interests: Evaluating and enhancing the electrochemical performance and structural stability of next-generation lithium-ion and sodium-ion battery materials, currently investigating anode materials.

Tomi Baikie

Physicist, Postdoctoral Associate at the Research Laboratory of Electronics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lindemann Fellow, and 2024 Schmidt Science Fellow

Ph.D. in Physics at the University of Cambridge.

Research interests: Investigating charge transport and light behavior in complex systems to advance renewable energy technologies, such as next-generation solar cells and rewired photosynthesis, as well as developing non-contact human electrophysiology devices.

Mary Shultz

Professor of Chemistry at Tufts University

Ph.D. in Chemistry at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Research interests: Physical chemistry and surface science, specifically using advanced spectroscopy and novel instrumentation to understand hydrogen bonding at interfaces, the molecular structures of icy surfaces, and the development of titanium dioxide photocatalysts for water purification..

Sarah E. Baker

Group Leader of the Materials for Energy and Climate Security, Associate Program Leader for Carbon Dioxide Conversion at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Ph.D. in Materials Chemistry at University of Wisconsin-Madison

Research interests: Industrial decarbonization, carbon dioxide removal pathways and technologies, science of scaleup, carbon dioxide capture and conversion, biomass, carbon removal and storage, measurement, reporting, and verification for carbon dioxide removal.

Deepanjali Chowdhury

Energy Systems Analyst and Researcher, NSF-GRFP and PosseNext Fellow

M.S in Material Science and Engineering at Cornell University

Research interests: Applied research on electrochemical CO2 reduction and biogas upgrading for large-scale dairy operations as well as policy frameworks that drive clean energy deployment at scale.

Richard Flagan

Irma and Ross McCollum-William H. Corcoran Professor of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Science and Engineering at California Institute of Technology

Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Research interests: Aerosol science and atmospheric chemistry, specifically centering on the fundamental mechanisms of atmospheric particle formation and the pioneering development of advanced instrumentation to characterize particles ranging down to one nanometer in size.

Anuradha Murthy Agarwal

Principal Research Scientist at MIT Microphotonics Center and Materials Research Laboratory, Leader at LEAP (Lab for Education and Application Prototypes, and Director of EPP (Electronic-Photonic Packaging at MIT Microphotonics Center)

Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at Boston University

Research interests: Developing (i) Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) as a path towards resource-efficiency in advanced semiconductor packaging and (ii) integrated mid-infrared silicon microphotonic platforms and materials to enable portable, on-chip chemical sensing for environmental monitoring and medical diagnostics.

Thomas Jaramillo

Professor of Chemical Engineering, of Energy Science Engineering, of Photon Science at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Director of SUNCAT Center for Interface Science and Catalysis, and Senior Fellow at the Precourt Institute for Energy

Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at University of California, Santa Barbara

Research interests: Developing advanced catalyst materials and systems for electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, and thermo catalysis; aims to transition away from fossil fuels by engineering nanoscale interfaces to optimize green hydrogen production, carbon dioxide reduction into sustainable chemicals, and solar fuel technologies.

Arun Johnson

Chemical Engineering Ph.D. Student in the Brushett Group at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

B.S. in Chemical Engineering at UC Berkeley and worked with Professor Jefferey Long

Chemical Engineer at Terraform Industries

Research interests: Novel architectures and designs for electrochemical reactors, water purification and sustainable mining, and carbon dioxide direct air capture and conversion to renewable natural gas.

YanFei Tang

Postdoctorate Fellow at the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustianability

Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering at Tongji University

Research interests: Developing innovative bioprocesses for sustainable environmental remediation and resource recovery, with a particular emphasis on methanotroph-based technologies that enable simultaneous methane mitigation and nutrient recycling from waste streams.

Matteo Cargnello

Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, Senior Fellow at the Precourt Institute for Energy and Associate Professor, by courtesy, of Materials Science and Engineering.

Ph.D. in Nanotechnology at the University of Trieste

Research interests: Nanoparticles and nanostructures for energy and environmental applications with applications in hydrogen generation through photocatalysis, reduction of methane emissions, pollution control, and solar cells.

Bryce De Muth

Energy Science and Engineering Ph.D. Student in the Bent group at Stanford University

B.S. in Environmental Engineering at Yale University

Research interests: Energy storage technologies and applications of atomic layer deposition to improving interfacial stability in next-generation battery chemistries.