Speaker Biographies

William Adams, Fastmarkets

William has been involved in the metals markets since 1986. He runs the research for Fastmarkets battery metals and oversees base and precious metals research. Fastmarkets as a Price Reporting Agency (PRA) provides price discovery on the battery raw materials and Fastmarkets Research aims to provide a clear and focused understanding of the metals markets. Prior to working for Fastmarkets, William worked with Rudolf Wolff & Co Ltd, which was one of the founding members of the London Metal Exchange, where he gained broad insight into all aspects of the metals markets, working in their London, New York and Tokyo offices.

Tsuyoshi Akiyama, Toray Research Ctr Inc

Tsuyoshi Akiyama is a senior research chemist with the organic analysis group at Toray Research Center, Inc. He received a Master’s degree in molecular bioscience from the Nara Institute of Science and Technology. Since 2007, he has been developing new analytical methods for battery (LIB / FC and more) evaluation.

Menahem Anderman, Total Battery Consulting Inc

A broad-based battery industry executive with experience ranging from materials research, cell design and product development to market development and general management. Distinguished within the industry by a combination of technical depth and business comprehension, with an understanding of the particular roles of technology, finance, manufacturing, and marketing in building a successful business.

Pierrot Attidekou, Newcastle University

Materials science/electrochemistry specialist. His research interest includes development of non-invasive characterisation of high power density lithium-ion batteries, modelling as well as BMS diagnosis.

Brian Barnett, Battery Perspectives

Brian Barnett recently founded Battery Perspectives LLC, a company providing consulting services related to battery technology and battery safety. Dr. Barnett has extensive experience in assessment, development and commercialization of battery technology and is recognized as both a technical and industry expert related to batteries and an expert in battery safety. He has directed a series of successful lab-based, highly multidisciplinary battery technology development programs that resulted in technology licensing or sale.

Adam Best, CSIRO Manufacturing

Dr. Adam Best received his PhD from Monash University, Australia in 2002 before being awarded a Senior Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Delft University of Technology (The Netherlands (2001 - 04). In 2004, Dr. Best joined the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Division of Energy Technology, to work on ionic liquid electrolytes for lithium metal batteries. In 2013, Dr. Best moved to the Manufacturing Business Unit and was appointed as Research Group Leader in the Metal Industries Program in 2015. Adam leads a number of battery research programs utilising ionic liquid electrolytes, including to enabling high voltage battery cathodes and lithium-sulfur batteries. Dr. Best has been the recipient of a number of awards including CSIRO Julius Award and more recently, a Winston Churchill Memorial Fellowship to study battery electrolytes and how to develop a battery industry in Australia. He has 68 publications and 12 patents, with a H index of 28 and over 3500 lifetime citations.

Nicolo Campagnol, McKinsey & Co Inc

Nicolo Campagnol is a Senior Knowledge Analyst at McKinsey and Company. At McKinsey he supports clients worldwide in taking strategic decision related to the battery value chain: product placement, raw materials sourcing, and market trends navigation. When not deployed at client sites he helps develop knowledge for the firm, producing articles and speaking at conferences. Prior to join McKinsey he earned his PhD in Materials Science and Electrochemisty at KU Leuven (Belgium) and a master in Materials Engineering at the University of Padua (Italy), with exchanges at MIT (USA), TU Delft (The Netherlands) and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (The Netherlands). During his academic career he focused on all main aspects of electrochemistry: from electrodeposition to corrosion, but with a special attention to energy storage and batteries

Douglas Campbell, Solid Power Inc

Doug Campbell is a small business veteran who specializes in new technology development and commercialization within the energy storage industry. Mr. Campbell co-founded Solid Power, Inc. in 2012 as a spin-out from the University of Colorado Boulder based on groundbreaking research in all solid-state rechargeable batteries. He has led the company’s efforts in transitioning from a University project into an industry-leading developer of high energy, safe and low-cost all solid-state rechargeable batteries targeted for a number of markets including automotive.

Vidyu Challa, DfR Solutions

Vidyu Challa is a battery expert/consultant and is currently Consulting Manager at Ansys- DfR Solutions. Dr. Challa helps develop battery supplier qualification programs for companies in different industry verticals such as consumer, medical, aerospace and industrial segments. She works on a range of battery challenges including supplier qualification, battery risk mitigation, root cause analysis, design reviews, and manufacturing audits. Dr. Challa teaches battery workshops at several industry conferences and Fortune 500 companies. She spent several years in the battery industry, developing custom battery solutions for IOT and smart medical devices. She has broad based expertise that includes engineering technology start-up experience, product development, R&D, and various roles in marketing and business development. She obtained a PhD from the University of Maryland, where her work was focused on the reliability of electronic components and systems. She is a recipient of the Phi Delta Gamma Award for Interdisciplinary Excellence as well as the Ann Wylie Dissertation Fellowship award. Dr. Challa has published her work in journals, gives invited talks at conferences and frequently writes blog articles. She most recently published a book chapter on battery failure analysis in Mcraw Hill’s Handbook of Batteries.

Young-Min Choi, LG Chem

Present: Vice President, Advanced Materials R&D, LG Chem, South Korea. Experience: over 20 years of R&D for cathode materials and rechargeable lithium batteries. 1998.02: PhD, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), South Korea

Mariyam Darma, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Dr. Mariyam Susana Dewi Darma is currently a research scientist at the Helmholtz Institute Ulm (HIU)-Electrochemical Energy Storage, Germany. She has investigated the degradation mechanism of various type of commercial li-ion batteries through post-mortem analysis since 2012, employing various techniques including in-situ X-ray Diffraction and electrochemical cycling. Expanding her research interest, she started collaboration in the field of battery modelling since 2018, to shed more light into cell performance under different stress factors.

Michael Fetcenko, Sion Power Corp

Michael Fetcenko formed MAF Battery Consulting, LLC in 2019 after retiring from BASF after 38 years. He was President of Ovonic Battery Company, the inventor of NiMH batteries, when acquired by BASF in 2012. He became Managing Director of BASF Battery Materials, NA before taking on Director of Global Licensing responsibilities. He is an inventor with over 70 patents and 100 publications in the NiMH and Li-Ion field. He is an expert in patents and licensing, with over 40 NiMH licenses and leading the successful ANL NCM licensing effort which resulted in 14 licenses and sub-licenses. He has led R&D, scale-up and commercialization and had P&L responsibilities. His inventions are used in all NiMH batteries for consumer, stationary, and hybrid vehicle applications such as the iconic Toyota Prius with over 10 million vehicles on the road. He serves on the Board of Directors and Technical Steering Committee for Sion Power, a leader in advanced Lithium systems including protected metallic lithium anodes for Li-Ion batteries.

Youngwon Hahn, Dassault Systems Simulia

Eva-Maria Hammer, Johnson Matthey Chemical Products - After graduating in chemistry from the University of Bonn, Eva-Maria completed her PhD in solid state chemistry at the University of Bonn. Eva-Maria started her industrial career at Ceres Power in 2015 after four years in fundamental research working on the material and process development for various energy storage applications. In her time at Ceres Power she worked on the development of functional layers in SOFC’s with a strong focus on process optimization. With a strong interest in green energy materials, Eva-Maria has progressed her career to become a senior member of the JM Battery Materials team, playing a key role in the product development of JM’s suite of next generation Li-ion battery cathode materials eLNO®.

Hans Harjung, e-moove GmbH

Hans gained his MBA from Vienna University of economics and business in 1984. He held several positions in strategic management, leading scientific and business innovation. Together with experts from electronic companies and Universities he founded company e-moove GmbH in 2008. Inspired by the early approaches in e-mobility and battery development, the team was focusing its activities on the development of a sophisticated charging infrastructure and the disruptive technical approach of an effective battery control.

Andreas Hintennach, Daimler AG

Andreas Hintennach is a chemist and medical doctor. He received his PhD in electrochemistry from the ETH Zurich and Paul Scherrer Institute (Switzerland) in 2010. After a postdoc stay at MIT in the field of lithium-air and catalysis 2010-11 he joined the group research department Daimler AG. His present focus in the field of electrochemistry is fundamental research on next-generation electrical energy storage and conversion materials and systems, sustainability and toxicology.

Paul Homburger, NOHMs Technologies Inc

Mr. Homburger is Vice President, Business Development at NOHMs Technologies, an early-stage company focused on advanced, safe electrolyte design using ionic liquid materials. He is one of the early investors in NOHMs and has spent many years in various companies developing worldwide sales opportunities and distribution channels. At NOHMs, he is responsible for worldwide customer interactions, and interfacing with both end-customers of lithium-ion cells, cell makers, specialty chemical manufacturers, and large electrolyte providers. This multi-tier engagement model allows NOHMs an unparalleled view into all stages and levels of the lithium-ion battery industry.

Kohei Honkura, Hitachi Research Lab

Hitachi Ltd., Research & Development Group Unit Leader/Senior Researcher Electrification Component & Material Research Department Center for Technology Innovation-Materials 1997.4-2001.3: School of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Japan; 2001.4-2005.3: Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Japan; 2005.4-2005.10

Tatsuo Horiba, Tokyo University of Science

Prof. Dr. Horiba has 45-year experience in the field of R & D on batteries and fuel cells. He was originally not an academia but an industry person and worked in Hitachi and Hitachi group companies for more than 35 years. He is one of pioneers who developed Li-ion batteries for automotive application. He has presented many papers for AABC since the first AABC in 2001

Sachiya Inagaki, Yano Research Institute Ltd

Viktor Irle, Market Analyst, EV-Volumes.com

Viktor Irle is co-founder, consultant, and market analyst at EV-volumes.com, a global market intelligence platform for the electric vehicle industry that delivers consultancy services in the EV industry. EV-volumes.com’s key strengths are in global vehicle sales and data for xEV vehicles, battery technology, charging infrastructure, future vehicles, governmental policies and targets, and forecasts. Prior to starting EV-volumes.com, Viktor Irle worked with consultancy services in the automotive industry. He is convinced electric vehicles play an important role in shaping the future of the automotive industry. Viktor Irle has a Master’s degree in Management and Economics of Innovation, from Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden, and a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering and Management.

Shuuichi Ishimoto, Nippon Chemi Con Corp

Shuichi Ishimoto has PhD of material science and engineering. He is a section manager of Advanced Material Group, Basic Research Center in Nippon Chemi-Con Corp. He has been working on advanced supercapacitors over ten years and is currently investigating novel conductive carbon materials for Li-ion batteries.

Taiyo Kawai, Toyota Motor Corp

Taiyo Kawai joined Toyota Motor Corporation in 1978. He worked as a general manager of Fuel Cell System Development Division from 2001 through 2012 after he was in charge of engine R&D and R&D management. He has been the project general manager of R&D and Engineering Management Division since 2012. He is in charge of planning and promotion of FCV market introduction.

Terence Kearns, Wevo Chemie GmbH

Business Development Manager and Strategist, experienced within the Electronics Chemical Materials societies. Looking beyond core business to unexplored evolving, dynamic and unproven markets and applications. Reporting directly to CEO, Management Team and Departmental Heads. Serving Automotive, Transport & Off-Road (OEM’s and Tiers), Aerospace and Defense, Building and Construction, Electronics (Micro and Industrial), Energy & Utilities, Lighting, Medical & Wellness. Working with Industry Stakeholders and Participants, Research Institutes and Consortiums, Funded Projects.

Kenny Kim, SNE Research

Kevin Konecky, Total Battery Consulting Inc - 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).

Michael Kruft, Umicore

Mark Lu, Industrial Technology Research Institute

As a certified senior industrial analyst of the biggest think-tank in Taiwan, Mark is responsible for research about battery-related industries in Taiwan, from material, cell, pack and related applications. Not only handling the official government statistics about Taiwan’s battery industries, he also plays a role in providing consultations to both the Taiwan government and companies worldwide. In the past six years, his clients have included the top 100 Taiwan companies and global enterprises like GM, VW, Intel, China Steel Company, China Petroleum Company and Japanese material companies. From 2010, he served as the deputy secretary-general of the Taiwan Battery Association.

Takeshi Miyamoto, B3 Corp

Mr. Miyamoto graduated from the Department of Applied Chemistry—Faculty of Engineering—of the University of Tohoku in 1981 and joined the Nissan Research Center that same year. In 1997 he became Manager of the Nissan Engineering and Vehicle Development Office and in 2005, General Manager of the Nissan HEV Development Division. In 2006 he was promoted to Division Manager of the Nissan EV Energy Development Division, and in 2007, became Engineering Director of Nissan EV Energy Development Division, a position he held until 2014. In April 2015, he joined B3 Corporation as Senior Vice President.

Shigeto Mizutani, Coherent Japan

Shigeto Mizutani is a market development manager at Coherent Japan Inc. who has been specializing in high-power laser technologies (Fiber laser and Diode laser, and its beam delivery system) and material processing for the automotive and battery markets in Japan. e.g. welding, joining, cutting, surface treatment, etc.

Yoshiaki Nitta, Nissan Motor Co Ltd

Mr. Nitta joined Panasonic in 1983 to work in battery materials research and cell development and moved to Samsung in 2003 where he was employed in cell research and line processing. In 2005 he moved Tanaka Chemical’s materials R&D and production department. Mr. Nitta joined Nissan Motor in 2009 to work in battery development for xEV (BEV, HEV). He is currently expert leader of Nissan’s research division and EV engineering division.

Gregory Offer, Imperial College London

I am based in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and my research is based around fuel cell, battery and supercapacitor technology, and their application, mostly in transport. From the fundamental science to integration and systems engineering. The problems I investigate tend to emerge at the interface between the science and engineering. When a problem emerges in an application, to understand it better it is often necessary to drill back down again into the science, but always in the context of the application.

Michael O'Kronley, A123 Systems LLC

Jacobs Park, Samsung SDI

Wenzel Prochazka, AVL List GmbH

Wenzel Prochazka studied Mechanical Engineering for Mechatronics at the University of Graz in Austria and the Institute of Applied Sciences in Rouen, France. During his PhD thesis at the University of Graz (2009 - 2013), he investigated ageing mechanisms of lithium-ion cells for PHEVs and EVs by means of experimental designs and electrochemical ageing modelling. Since 2004, he has been involved in modelling of energy systems at different enterprises and research centers (e.g. VA Tech Austria, ONERA France) and vehicle thermal management at AVL. In 2010 he joined AVL List’s Global Battery Competence Team as a junior expert for ageing of battery systems. In 2013 he switched to his current position as Product Manager for battery systems.

Craig Rigby, Clarios

Craig Rigby joined Johnson Controls in 2007 and currently serves as the Vice President - Technology for Power Solutions. Rigby has played a key role in developing business and product strategies to shape the rapid changes in automotive battery technology over the last decade and is seen as a thought leader in the vehicle electrification and energy storage.In his current role, Rigby leads the development of Power Solutions industry point of view, by synthesizing an understanding of market drivers, customer strategies, application requirements and emerging battery technology. He also leads the advanced engineering activities within Power Solutions, including technology scouting, product development partnerships, vehicle systems analysis, and competitive product benchmarking. In his time at Johnson Controls, Rigby has held several leadership roles in Product Engineering and Product Management where he had overall responsibility for product road-mapping and development for the full product line of automotive energy storage products. Prior to joining Johnson Controls, Rigby worked at Ford Motor Company in a variety of engineering roles including vehicle integration, program management and as an Engineering Supervisor. He had a leadership role in the launch of the Ford Escape Hybrid before leading the core battery development team. Rigby holds a Master of Science in Engineering Management from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan and a Bachelor of Science in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Johannes Roessner, TUEV SUED China

Johannes Roessner started working for TÜV SÜD in 2012 in the field of Battery Testing. After 3 years working in the test lab in Germany he moved to Japan to support the setup of TÜV SÜD’s battery testing activities there. In 2016 he joined TÜV SÜD China where he is coordinating the buildup of battery testing labs in Changzhou and Guangzhou technically. Since 2019 he is in charge of TÜV SÜD’s battery testing activities globally. He holds a Master degree in electrical engineering of University of Technology Munich.

Takuya Saeki, Siemens PLM Software

Takuya Saeki has been an application engineer at Siemens PLM software since 2015. As a local expert of batteries, he has been involved in various projects with customers such as Toyota and Panasonic. He received his master’s degree in molecular engineering from Kyoto University. This is his first presentation at a AABC conference and he had made presentation at various conference including Battery Symposium in Japan.

Kenan Sahin, CAMX Power LLC

Dr. Kenan Sahin is the President/Founder of CAMX Power, LLC. He founded CAMX Power in 2014, and the company’s flagship products, CAM-7® and GEMX^TM, are among the most advanced cathode materials for lithium-ion battery applications in the automotive market. Dr. Sahin was educated at MIT and served as a faculty member at MIT and other universities. He is a Life Member of the MIT Corporation Board and served on the board of Argonne National Lab.

Atsushi Sakuda, Osaka Prefecture University

Atsushi Sakuda is an Assistant Professor of Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate school of Engineering at Osaka Prefecture University.

Paul Schiffbaenker, AVL List GmbH

Paul is an internationally experienced industrial engineer, holding a master degree in mechanical engineering. I acquired a deep understanding of different cultural and business practices, and have diversified experience with product development, project management and innovation management in the fields of automotive (AVL List GmbH, BMW Group, Magna Int., TU Graz Racing) and solar industry (Fronius Int.).

Masahiro Sekino, Toshiba Corp

Tal Sholklapper, Voltaiq Inc

Dr. Tal Sholklapper is a co-founder of Voltaiq and serves as the company’s CEO. Previously he was the lead engineer of a DOE ARPA-E funded battery project, and he co-founded Point Source Power. Dr. Sholklapper has a BS, MS and PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from UC Berkeley.

Dee Strand, Wildcat Discovery Technologies Inc

Dr. Dee Strand is a Senior Scientist 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 PhD in Analytical Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, under the supervision of Professor John Schrag. Her PhD research focused on rheology and birefringence of polymeric solutions. Dr. Strand also holds a Master of Science degree in Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from North Dakota State University.

Jarvis Tou, Enevate Corp

Jarvis Tou has over 30 years of experience and joined Enevate in 2008.  Previously, he has also held executive, senior management, and technical positions at Intel, Motorola, CalAmp, and multiple startups.  He holds an MBA from Arizona State University, an MSEE from Purdue University, and a BSEE from the University of Michigan.

Scott Trimboli, University of Colorado Colorado Springs

Professor Trimboli is Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS) and is former Director of the Center for Space Studies (CSS) in the National Institute of Space, Science and Security Centers (NISSSC). His research is conducted in collaboration with Prof. Gregory Plett where the focus is on development of control strategies for the management of high-capacity battery systems such as found in electric vehicles. He is currently UCCS principal investigator (PI) of a multi-year program with ARPA-E headed by Utah State University where he leads a team of students investigating the application of model-predictive control to improve the performance and extend the lifetime of lithium-ion battery cells. He is also co-PI of an on-going battery modeling and control project with a major automotive company. Broader research interests include system identification and modeling, as well as robust control.

HeinzWilli Vassen, Audi AG

Mr. Vassen studied electomical engineering at the RWTH Aachen, Germany. He entered Audi AG in 1999 as diagnostics engineer and became manager of gateway ECU and data buses in 2004. In 2006 he took the post of manager of energy systems, working on 12V, 48V, PHEV and BEV battery systems and energy components and functions for 12V/48V. In July 2017 he became director of electric/electronics of Audi China (Beijing) and his duties include NEV technology, battery systems for PHEV / BEV applications / charging technology / wallboxes; infotainment / connectivity, infotainment systems for China / Japan / Korea; V2X / ICV technology.

Martin Winter, University of Muenster

Martin Winter holds the Chair of Materials Science, Energy and Electrochemistry at the University of Muenster (WWU) in Germany. He is a founding director of MEET Battery Research Center at WWU and the founding director of the Helmholtz Institute Muenster, which is a branch of Forschungszentrum Juelich. Martin Winter is the spokesperson of German Battery Research and holds more than 40 awards and recognitions and is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

Atsuo Yamada, University of Tokyo 

Atsuo Yamada has been a professor at the University of Tokyo since 2009, directing multidisciplinary research on materials for energy storage and conversion. After 13 years of service as a staff scientist and laboratory head of Sony Research Center from 1990, he was appointed as an associate professor at Tokyo Institute of Technology in 2002, a full professor of the University of Tokyo in 2009. He is now leading the national research project called “Elements Strategy Initiative for Catalysts and Batteries” as well as “Specially Promoted Research” in JSPS. He received the Spriggs Award from the American Ceramic Society in 2010, Scientific Achievement Award of the Electrochemical Society of Japan, IBA(International Battery Materials Association) Research Award, and Ross Coffin Purdy Award of the American Ceramic Society in 2016.

Rachid Yazami, KVI Pte Ltd

Prof. Rachid Yazami, is a native of Fez, Morocco and a graduate of the Grenoble Institute of Technology (INPG) electrochemistry and materials science where he also received a PhD on graphite intercalation compounds for lithium battery application, and began his career and rose to research director at CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) in Grenoble, France. Yazami is the inventor involved in more than 140 patents related to battery technology, including on state of charge, state of health and state of safety of batteries together with ultra-fast charge technologies. He also invented the graphite anode in 1979 currently used in most commercial lithium-ion batteries, an over $30B/year business. Dr. Yazami co-authored over 250 articles including peers reviewed papers, and book chapters on batteries and battery materials and systems. A founder in 2007 of CFX battery, Inc., (Contour Energy Systems) a primary and rechargeable lithium and fluoride battery start-up company in Azusa, California, Yazami has also been a visiting associate in Materials Science and in Chemistry at Caltech (Pasadena, California) in collaboration with JPL/NASA for 10 years. He served as the President of the International Battery Association (IBA) and as International Scientific Board member of several lithium battery conferences and events. In 2010, Dr. Yazami joined the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore (NTU) where he held the Nanyang Visiting Professor in Materials Science position. Until 10/2018, he served as the Director of the Energy Storage programs with the Energy Research Institute (ERI@N). Current research areas cover lithium batteries and “Beyond Lithium” future battery technologies, including liquid anode alkali metal-air and fluoride ion batteries. He is also served as PI of battery research at the TUM Create Center of e-mobility, jointly managed by NTU and the Technological University of Munich.In 2011Yazami founded KVI PTE LTD a start-up company in Singapore dedicated to battery life and safety enhancement for mobile electronics, large energy storage and electric vehicles applications. KVI is a licensee of Caltech, CNRS and NTU patents invented by Yazami and his team on battery thermodynamics. The technology is currently endorsed by major mobile electronics, EV and battery manufacturers and R&D Centers. Applications include accurate assessments of state of charge, state of health and state of safety and ultrafast battery charging systems. In recognition of his pioneer work on the graphite anode in lithium-ion batteries, Yazami received several scientific awards, including from NASA, NATO, IBA, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Fellowship, the Hawaii Battery, the IEEE, the Draper Prize of the US National Academy of Engineering. He was a finalist of the Global Energy Award (Russia) and of the Marius Lavet Prize (France). In 2014 Yazami was decorated by HM the King of Morocco and is the recipient of the French Legion of Honor in 2016. Recently he received the “2018’ Takreem Award” in Science and Technology Innovation, considered the Arab Scientist of the Year Award.

John Zhang, Celgard LLC

Dr. Zhang is recognized as the leading authority on lithium-ion battery safety and separators. He is a leader in establishing lithium-ion battery industry standards (P1625, P1725 and CTIA) through the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He has chaired and/or organized more than 60 international conferences and delivered more than 60 invited keynote or plenary speeches at various international conferences. John has published more than 110 patents, papers and books, including the first ceramic coating separator patent (US 6, 432, 586) and some of the most cited papers (Chem. Reviews, 2004 and Li-ion safety papers 2006-now). Dr. Zhang received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Shanghai University. He holds a Master of Science Degree in Electrochemistry from Shandong University, and a PhD in Material Chemistry from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has also completed additional Post Doctorate studies in Nuclear Interactions.