Speaker Biographies

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.”

Varnika is a Senior Battery Research Analyst at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, where her primary focus is on the technical side of electric vehicle, energy stationary storage and battery market analysis. She holds a DPhil from University of Oxford. Benchmark Intelligence Company is headquartered in London.

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.

Dr. Khalil Amine is an Argonne Distinguished Fellow and the leader of the Advanced Battery Technology team at Argonne National Laboratory, where he is responsible for directing the research and development of advanced materials and battery systems for HEV, PHEV, EV, grid, satellite, military, and medical applications. Dr. Amine is also the Codirector of US-German initiative on interface. He serves as a member of the US National Academy of inventors and committee member of the US National Research Consul at US Academy of Sciences on battery-related technologies. He is an adjunct professor at Stanford University, and holds a joint appointment as professor at the University of Chicago and Fellow of Northwestern University/Argonne Institute of Science and Engineering. Among his many awards, Dr. Amine is 2019 recipient of the Global Energy Prize, a 2003 recipient of Scientific America’s Top Worldwide 50 Researcher Award, a 2009 recipient of the US Federal Laboratory Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer, 2013 DOE Vehicle technologies office award and is the six-time recipient of the R&D 100 Award. In addition, he was awarded the ECS battery technology and battery research awards, the International Battery Association award, and NAATBat lifetime achievement award. Dr. Amine holds 207 patents and patent applications and has 713 publications with google h-index of 148. From 1998-2020, Dr. Amine was the most cited scientist in the world in the field of battery technology. He serves as the Executive Director and President of IMLB. He is also the chairman of the International Automotive Lithium Battery Association, ECS fellow, fellow of the International Association of Advanced Materials, and associate editor of the journal of Nano-Energy.

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.

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.

Peter Attia received a PhD from Stanford University in materials science and engineering in 2019 and a BChE in chemical and biomolecular engineering from the University of Delaware in 2014. He currently works at Tesla. For his PhD, Attia worked with Prof. William Chueh to study degradation in carbon negative electrodes of lithium-ion batteries from the interfacial to full cell scales. Attia’s work ranges from fundamental characterization and modeling of the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) to predicting and optimizing battery lifetime using machine learning techniques. His work has been published in high impact journals including Nature and Nature Energy. Attia’s honors include the ECS Battery Division Student Research Award (2019), the MRS Graduate Student Award (2019), the MRS Open Data Challenge (2019), the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (2014), and the Stanford Graduate Fellowship (2014).

Sue Babinec is the Program Lead – Stationary Storage at Argonne National Lab where she is tasked to establish a sustainable growth strategy towards stationary storage for grid applications. Babinec previously served six years in Washington DC as senior commercialization advisor at the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) where she co-managed the energy storage portfolio for both transportation and grid. Prior to ARPA-E she led several research groups focused on design and scale-up of Li-ion technologies as a technical director for A123 Systems, Inc. at its Ann Arbor Michigan, site. Babinec spent the first two decades of her career in Midland at The Dow Chemical Corp., where she was the Senior Electrochemist, a member of the Corporate VC group, was awarded the Inventor of the Year Award, and was the company’s first woman Corporate Fellow. She was also co-inventor of a low-cost display technology that was spun out as the venture-funded start-up, holds more than 45 patents, and has authored or coauthored dozens of journal articles and book chapters.

Kevin Beaty is a commercialization and technical business leader with more than 20 years of experience building, launching, and scaling electrified powertrain and battery-related programs in the commercial vehicle industry. He spent over a decade leading Eaton's hybrid electric powertrain business from inception through global commercialization, overseeing product architecture, battery and supplier strategies, manufacturing scale-up, and OEM deployment programs worldwide. His work contributed to market-leading positions across multiple hybrid vehicle segments. Kevin has held leadership roles at Eaton, Woodward, CALSTART, Southwest Research Institute, and YUNEV, working with OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, fleets, investors, and technology developers across global markets, with particular depth in the US and China. Today, he focuses on battery commercialization, supply chain strategy, and the successful deployment of advanced transportation technologies.

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.

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.

Phoebe Bisnoff serves as Deputy Director of Battery Manufacturing at CALSTART, where they lead the PowerForward program—a $67M California Energy Commission funded grant program to accelerate zero-emission vehicle battery production in CA. Formerly a battery engineer at Xos Trucks, Canoo, and Spectrapower. BS in Chemical & Materials Engineering from UMass Amherst.

Alex Bourque is a Data Science Specialist at 3M’s Corporate Research Analytical Lab in Maplewood, MN, USA. He provides technical consult and R&D support for a wide range of 3M products, specializing in thermal analysis and polymer materials characterization.

Before joining 3M in 2019, Alex completed his Ph.D. and Masters of Chemical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as well as a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Institute for Standards & Technology (NIST) in the Materials Measurement Lab. His work has supported much of 3M’s new materials development efforts for thermal management in EV battery packs.

With over two decades of experience across the automotive and semiconductor sectors, Kimberly has built her career at the intersection of advanced engineering, customer integration, and market transformation. From her early work in failure analysis laboratories solving complex technical challenges to leading global business development initiatives, she has consistently translated emerging technologies into real-world automotive applications. Kimberly is recognized for her ability to navigate highly complex industry environments, align cross-functional stakeholders, and establish the strategic partnerships required to bring new technologies into reality. Her leadership has contributed to sustained growth, the advancement of next-generation vehicle architectures, and the integration of critical technologies that are shaping the future of mobility.

Emilio Bunel received his M.S. in Chemical Engineering in 1980 from the University of Chile and his Ph.D. in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology in 1988. He began his professional career at DuPont Central Research where he spent 12 years working on catalysis. From 2001 to 2008 he worked in the pharmaceutical industry. After spending twenty years in industry, in October 2008 Emilio Bunel was named director of the Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division at U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory, where he was responsible for directing a science-based research, development, and early-stage engineering organization. In November 2017 Emilio Bunel was named VP of Innovation at SQM which is one of the largest lithium producers in the world. After a year with SQM he joined the Catholic University of Chile as a professor with a joint appointment between the School of Chemistry and Pharmacy and the School of Engineering.

Dr. Mei Cai is the Senior Director of Battery Engineering at Fluence, a Siemens and AES company. She is responsible for the design, development, and implementation of battery energy storage systems including cell, module, and battery management systems. Before joining Fluence, she was the Director of Battery Materials and Systems Research at General Motors Global Research and Development Center, where she is responsible for innovations in advanced battery technologies for future electric vehicles.

Dr. Fu-Kuo Chang is a Professor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford University. He received his PhD. from U. of Michigan in 1983. His primary research interest is in the areas of multi-functional materials and intelligent structures with particular emphases on structural health monitoring, self-sensing diagnostics, intelligent sensor networks, and multifunctional energy storage composites for transportation vehicles as well safety-critical assets. He is the Editor-in- Chief of the international Journal of Structural Health Monitoring, the recipient of 2018 PHM Life-time Achievement Award, 2004 SHM Life-time Achievement Award, and the 2010 SPIE Smart Structures/NDE Life-Time Achievement award. Founding Chair of the International Aerospace Industry Steering Committee for Structural Health Monitoring (AISC-SHM); Co-founder/Chairman of the Board of Acellent Technologies; Fellows of AIAA and ASME.

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.

Ben has over fifteen years' experience between General Motors, XALT Energy, and now Freudenberg Sealing Technologies as an innovator and Technical Specialist in the battery industry, specializing in cell materials, pack design, and validation. With deep expertise in system architecture, virtual analysis, and high-voltage safety, he has led numerous innovations to develop new products, streamline validation costs and timing, and improve safety across the industry. Ben earned his MS in Energy Systems Engineering from the University of Michigan and BS in Manufacturing Engineering from Ferris State 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.

Justin Connell is a Materials Scientist in the Energy Conversion and Storage Group of the Materials Science Division, Deputy Director for Science for the Center for Steel Electrification by Electrosynthesis (C-STEEL), and manager of the Electrochemical Discovery Laboratory. He is also a member of the Consortium for Advanced Science and Engineering affiliated with the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago. His current research interests focus on utilizing a combination of vacuum synthesis, electrochemical analysis and spectroscopic tools to understand the bulk and interfacial (electro)chemical processes that govern the stability and reversibility of materials and electrolytes for energy storage and decarbonized manufacturing applications.

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.

Andrew Davis is the Founder and CEO of Arbor Batteries, where he leads the commercialization of patented 3D electrode architectures designed to redefine electric vehicle performance. He holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan and a B.S. in Applied Physics from Brigham Young University. With over a decade of expertise in battery cell design and characterization, Andrew’s work focuses on decoupling the traditional trade-offs between energy density and fast-charging rates through advanced manufacturing. He is a veteran of the startup ecosystem with nearly 10 years of entrepreneurial experience.

Victoire de Margerie is Majority Shareholder and Executive Chairman of Rondol, a DeepTech SME that develops and markets precision engineering equipment for high quality and low cost drug formulations, food supplements or energy storage components. She has written papers in those fields in scientific journals such as International Journal of Pharmaceutics, Pharmaceutics, Physical Science & Biophysics Journal or SPE Polymers. Her background is in the industry of advanced materials since 1986 and she has held operational & executive assignments in various countries (Canada, Germany, USA, UK, France) until she joined Rondol in 2007. She also has a strong experience in non executive positions (now Boliden and Ivanhoe Electric, previously Arkema, Babcock, Eurazeo, Italcementi, Morgan Advanced Materials, Outokumpu or Norsk Hydro). She was elected an Academician at the National Academy of Technologies of France in 2020.

Katharine De Senne is a communications professional with over 15 years of experience in the media industry. She joined S&P Global four years ago, initially covering the aluminum market across the US, Mexico, and Brazil. Currently, her focus is on battery metals in North America. Prior to her role at S&P Global, Katharine was a news anchor and reporter on national television in LatAm and has also taught journalism. She is a published author and holds a master's degree in business administration.

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).

Mickael Dollé is a Full Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the Université de Montréal. He earned his Ph.D. from Université Picardie Jules Verne (Amiens – France) in 2002. Prior to joining Université de Montréal in 2014, he was a CNRS researcher in France after being postdoctoral fellows at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Max Planck Institute of Stuttgart. He is the recipient of the American Ceramic Society Global Star Award. His research focuses on materials chemistry, energy storage, and manufacturing. His ongoing projects focus on solid state batteries (ceramic and polymer), dry electrode processing and battery recycling.

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.

Ofodike A. “DK” Ezekoye is the Joe C. Walter Jr. Chair in Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, where he has served on the faculty since 1993. He directs the UT Fire Research Group, which conducts research at the intersection of fire science, heat transfer, combustion, and energy storage safety. Dr. Ezekoye and his group have published extensively on emerging fire and heat transfer challenges, with a growing emphasis on lithium ion battery hazards. Their battery safety research spans multiple scales, from active material characterization and single cell failure behavior to cell to cell thermal runaway propagation, compartment impacts, and community scale consequences of battery fire events. A central objective of this work is to combine carefully designed experiments with first principles modeling to develop predictive tools of varying fidelity that improve understanding of battery failure evolution and support safer system design. Dr. Ezekoye and his students have presented their research around the world at engineering and scientific conferences, fire service meetings, and safety focused forums, including FDIC and the Redmond Safety Symposium. He is a Fellow of ASME and has received the SFPE D. Peter Lund Award, the NFPA Bigglestone Best Paper Award, and the National Science Foundation Early Career Award.

Dr. Huazhen Fang is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State University. Before joining MSU, he was on the faculty at the University of Kansas. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego, his M.Sc. from the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, and his B.Eng. from Northwestern Polytechnic University in China. His research centers on advanced battery systems and control, with projects supported by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the Army Research Lab, and others. Along the way, he received the Faculty Early Career Award from the National Science Foundation, the University Scholarly Achievement Award from the University of Kansas, and a Prize Paper Award from IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification. He currently serves as an Associate Editor for IEEE Control Systems Letters and IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics.

Dr. Jacob Faulkner is a Chemical Engineer at Naval Surface Warfare Center – Philadelphia. His PhD work, advised by Dr. Bruce Tatarchuk at Auburn University, led to methodological advances in battery pack design with integrated analysis of heat generation, dissipation, and degradation kinetics. This analysis contributes to design at the cell level as well as the battery module level. His work allows for the development of high-power battery systems that extend cycle life while boasting nonpropagation.

Melissa Flaherty is the Director of EV Battery Lifecycle & Aftersales Strategy at General Motors and a leader within GM's Battery & Sustainability organization. With more than 30 years at GM, she has built deep experience across the automotive industry and now focuses on EV battery lifecycle strategy, battery recycling, and aftersales strategy. Her work sits at the intersection of battery innovation, sustainability priorities, recycling, and lifecycle planning, helping shape how battery systems create value across the full EV ecosystem. She brings an industry perspective grounded in the strategic challenges and opportunities surrounding battery lifecycle management and the evolving electric vehicle value chain.

Dr. Alejandro A. Franco is a Full Professor at Université de Picardie Jules Verne (Amiens, France), Honorary Member of the Institut Universitaire de France, and Affiliate Professor at the University of Washington (Seattle, USA). With over 24 years of experience, he is a leading expert in multiscale modeling and AI for battery manufacturing. He is the recipient of two ERC grants, as well as the 2025 Battery Division M. Stanley Whittingham Mid-Career Award of the Electrochemical Society. Prof. Franco coordinates the Erasmus+ i-MESC Master Programme and serves as an Editor for the Journal of Power Sources. He has an extensive track record with over 185 publications, 23 patents, 175+ invited conference lectures, and 75+ invited seminars. Additionally, he is the co-founder and CSO of Aikemics, a startup leveraging digital twin technology to revolutionize the battery industry.

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.

Dr. Paul Gasper is currently a Staff Scientist specializing in battery testing, data analysis, and predictive degradation modeling at the National Renewable Energy Lab, with a deep interest in using computational modeling and machine-learning to complement traditional materials science and electrochemical analysis methods. Paul’s interest in electrochemistry began during an undergraduate research internship at Worcester Polytechnic Institute on the recycling of lithium-ion batteries, and then worked for a year at Saint-Gobain North America manufacturing solid oxide fuel cell components. Paul conducted his Ph.D. research on the modification and performance characterization of solid oxide fuel cells at Boston University until his graduation in 2019. Dr. Gasper joined NREL as a post-doctoral researcher in the fall of 2019, working for the Behind-The-Meter-Storage, ReCell, and Rapid Operational Validation Initiative DOE research consortia as well as battery testing and modeling for industrial partners and international organizations. Dr. Gasper’s long-term research vision is to consolidate traditional materials science methods with modern data science approaches to accelerate scientific advancement.

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 President Elect of NAATBatt International, Advisory Committee member at BEACONS battery center by UT Dallas, and Co-chair of the “Electrode Materials Committee” at NAATBatt. Katharina holds a doctorate degree in Battery Materials from the University of Bonn, Germany.

Kevin L. Gering, PhD (INL) PhD Chem. Eng., University Oklahoma - 1989 (electrolyte theory). Kevin has been involved in battery testing and R&D for nearly 20 years while at INL. Dr. Gering is an established expert in the field of state-of-the-art molecular-based electrolyte models for electrochemical systems (Advanced Electrolyte Model, AEM), and has developed novel performance and lifecycle (aging) models for lithium-ion battery systems covering mechanistic aspects of kinetic limitations and performance loss over battery life (CellSage). AEM generates more than 100 property metrics with each simulation, giving genomic-level information for electrolyte characterization. CellSage simulations perform mechanism-wise analyses of battery aging while accounting for multiple concurrent stress factors that can change over the timeline. Kevin is well qualified to speak on issues of electrolyte transport, characterization, screening, and optimization for lithium-ion systems, wherein particular areas of expertise are highly concentrated electrolytes and low-temperature battery performance. During AEM development, Kevin has achieved milestones in formulating mathematics and new modeling techniques that capture properties that were previously very difficult to model over wide ranges of temperature and salt concentration, such as colligative permittivity, conductivity, diffusivity, viscosity, surface tension, ion desolvation energy and kinetics, double-layer composition and properties, comprehensive ion speciation, osmotic pressure, preferential ion solvation, and many others. Kevin is currently contributing to the DOE program eXtreme Fast Charge Cell Evaluation of Lithium-ion Batteries (XCEL), and is involved in integrating CellSage architecture and outcomes within a machine learning (ML) program under DOE-VTO. Dr. Gering has a diverse background in modeling complex systems, where other previous work covered developing a methane hydrates marine basin model, a dynamic passive aeration compost model, blast wave calculations, transport model for pulsed catalytic reactors, and others. He actively collaborates within DOE labs, universities, and the private sector, and is an advocate of domestic intellectual property, having several patents issued and pending, and under license. AEM and CellSage tools have seen increased licensing, speaking to the growing impact of INL to meet industrial needs.

John Glassmire brings two decades of experience at the frontiers of the energy transition to help organizations leverage digital innovation to enable an electrified future. He is passionate about advancing electricity as the bedrock of modern business and a sustainable future. John’s experience spans research, portfolio strategy, and innovation acceleration, to solve today’s most pressing energy challenges. John’s leadership impact includes several years as director of energy engineering at a successful microgrid software start-up, more than a decade of global consultative solutioning experience, and several years in product management. John understands that lifelong learning and active engagement are critical to solving the most pressing energy challenges; he has facilitated hundreds of workshops and led the creation of a University of Washington course on distributed renewable power systems for power utility leaders to catalyze access to clean, low-cost, reliable power. John holds a BSME from Rice University and an MSME from Northwestern University.

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.

Dr Paolo Guida is a Research Scientist at KAUST and Chief Scientist at the Li-ion battery recycling startup CirCoLi. He specialises in multiphase flows, numerical modelling, systems engineering and leads technology development in advanced Li-ion battery recycling.

Dr. Hirschmugl is co-founder, and CEO of COnovate, and is co-inventor of the patented COphiteTM materials, based on the world’s first known form of solid carbon monoxide at room temperature and pressure. Discovered at nanograms in unique microscopes owned by COnovate’s co-founders, the COnovate team has successfully scaled COphite materials trillion-fold, producing anodes that address weaknesses of LTO, Si and Graphite, offering an easily adoptable option to improve battery performance and safety. Hirschmugl leads the company, is professor emerita of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, an expert in condensed matter physics, Fellow of AVS, and has generated and managed $5M in funding.

Jeff Hwang is an Advanced Testing Specialist at 3M’s Transportation and Electronics Group Lab in Maplewood, MN, USA where he leads the Automotive Battery Test Lab (ABTL). In this role, he oversees the development of test methods spanning material-level through component-level thermal runaway evaluation for electric vehicle battery applications.

Prior to joining 3M, Jeff completed his Ph.D. and Masters of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. Since joining 3M in 2018, he has supported a range of automotive material development initiatives while helping advance testing capabilities in the evolving EV battery space.

Sam Jaffe is the VP of business development and product at Mana Battery. 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 has also worked at 1019 Technologies and Addionics. He is the author of two books, Jewish Wisdom for Business Success and The New Korea, and lives in Boulder, Colorado.

Dr. Judy Jeevarajan is the Vice President and Executive Director for the Electrochemical Safety Research Institute (ESRI) at UL Research Institutes (ULRI). With more than 27 years of experience in the area of batteries and a primary focus on the lithium-ion chemistry, she specializes in battery safety research, including safety trends in aged lithium-ion cells and modules, thermal runaway propagation in lithium battery systems, characterizing fire and fire suppressants for lithium-ion batteries, and consumer battery safety. Dr. Jeevarajan serves in the Technical Working Group for standards organizations such as UL Standards & Engagement (ULSE), Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)/Society of Aerospace Engineers (SAE), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and American National Standards Institute (ANSI). From 1998 until 2003, Dr. Jeevarajan worked for Lockheed Martin Space Operations at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas. In 2003, she started her work as a NASA civil servant, serving as the Group Lead for Battery Safety and Advanced Technology. Dr. Jeevarajan has several awards to her credit, including the noteworthy NASA Exceptional Service Medal and NASA-NESC Engineering Excellence Award. She has been an active advocate of battery safety at meetings and conferences. She has also authored or co-authored several book chapters, including the “Battery Safety” chapter in Elsevier’s publication titled “Safety Design for Space Systems” in March 2009 (first edition) and July 2023 (second edition), and the “Managing of Risk by Manufacturers of Consumer Equipment” chapter in Elsevier’s “Electrochemical Power Sources: Fundamentals, Systems, and Applications” in September 2018. She continues to contribute to many journal publications and articles. She earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry (Electrochemistry) from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa (1995) and holds a Master of Science in Chemistry from the University of Notre Dame (1991).

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.

Academia 1993 Tokyo Institute of Technology, D.Eng., Chemical engineering Employment 1993 Mitsubishi Kasei (now, Mitsubishi Chemical corporation) 2003 Mitsubishi Chemical Group Science and Technology Research Center, Inc. 2017 Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation Previous work, career 1993–1995 Development of separation process for ultrapure hydrogen peroxide 1995–1998 Design for polymerization reactor for polytetramethylene ether glycol 1997–1999 Design for oxidation catalyst to produce acrylic acid 1997–now Electrochemical design for lithium-ion battery 1999–now Safety analysis for lithium-ion battery 2002–2004 Development of purification process for isolation of fullerene C60 2007–2012 Leader for program of "The safety electrolyte for LIB" funded by NEDO, Japan 2010–2012 Project leader for "Advanced battery material" 2012–2017 Leader of Battery Science Group of Battery materials lab 2016–now Development of thermal management parts for lithium-ion battery

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.

Subject Matter Expert in Advanced Battery Pack Structure at Stellantis, focused on next-generation battery system architectures. Holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a PhD in Tribology from Imperial College London, UK Brings over 25 years of automotive industry experience, with the past five years dedicated to advanced battery technologies.

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).

Robert Kostecki is the Director of the Energy Storage and Distributed Resources Division in Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He contributes to LBNL scientific, programmatic and strategic leadership in the area of Energy Technology, guides the formulation, development and implementation of research programs, represents the Division’s scientific programs to DOE program managers and other stakeholders, and builds relationships with other laboratories, the university community and international collaborators. He also serves as a Senior Scientist and Principal Investigator in the Electrochemistry Group in the Energy Storage and Distributed Resources Division. He oversees multiple research projects focused on basic processes and fundamental phenomena that determine electrochemical performance of electrical energy storage/conversion systems and water treatment technologies. Kostecki is often recognized for his pioneering work in characterization of electrochemical interfaces and electrochemical systems engineering, which helped bridge the gap between fundamental science and applications of significant technological importance e.g., rechargeable batteries, fuel cells, photo-electrochemical reactors and desalination techniques. Author of >110 papers in scientific refereed journals, 15 papers in scientific conference proceedings, >250 presentations at scientific and technical conferences and 17 patents. Fellow of the Electrochemical Society. Vice-President of the International Society of Electrochemistry. Editor of Electrochimica Acta.

Alex Kosyakov is the Co-Founder and CEO of Natrion, a battery technology company based in Champaign, IL and Binghamton, NY. Kosyakov studied materials science at the University of Illinois and City College of New York (CCNY). His research has primarily concentrated on reinforced polymer composites and active materials for rechargeable lithium and sodium batteries. Natrion was started in 2018 to commercialize intellectual property developed by Kosyakov and collaborators at CCNY. The company now provides Li-metal battery technologies to automotive, defense, aerospace, and consumer electronics OEMs around the world.

Dr. Moritz Kroll is a chemist and BattFutur junior research group leader for Battery Data Science at INATECH, Faculty of Engineering, University of Freiburg, and at Fraunhofer ISE. His interdisciplinary research combines battery science with data science to develop non-destructive, data-driven methods for quality control in battery production. In doing so, he bridges the gap between fundamental research and industrial application—for safer and more sustainable batteries.

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.

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.

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

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.

Arumugam Manthiram is the George T. and Gladys H. Abell Endowed Chair of Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin). He served as the Director of Texas Materials Institute at UT-Austin for 11 years during 2011–2022. After receiving his PhD in chemistry from Indian Institute of Technology Madras in 1981 and working as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford and at UT-Austin, he became a faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UT-Austin in 1991. He has authored more than 1,000 journal articles with 144,000 citations and an h-index of 184. He has mentored 300 students and postdoctoral researchers, including the graduation of 81 PhD students. Dr. Manthiram is an elected Fellow of seven profession societies. He is a recipient of University of Texas Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award (one university-wide award per year, 2012), Electrochemical Society Battery Division Research Award (2014), Distinguished Alumnus Award of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (2015), Billy and Claude R. Hocott Distinguished Centennial Engineering Research Award (2016), Honorary Mechanical Engineer of the ME Academy of Distinguished Alumni Award (2019), Electrochemical Society Henry B. Linford Award for Distinguished Teaching (2020), International Battery Materials Association Research Award (2020), Electrochemical Society Battery Division Technology Award (2021), John B. Goodenough Award of the Electrochemical Society (2023), International Battery Materials Association Yeager Award for Lifetime Achievement (2024), and Electrochemical Society Olin Palladium Award (2025). He delivered the 2019 Chemistry Nobel Prize Lecture in Stockholm on behalf of Professor John Goodenough.

Tom Maull works as the Principal Product Manager—Innovation 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.

Dr. Mayyas is assistant professor of industrial and system engineering. He joined Khalifa University in fall 2018. Before that Dr. Mayyas worked as a clean energy systems analyst at the national renewable energy laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. He is currently involved in R&D activities for composite materials, design and manufacturing of fuel cells, water electrolysis, and li-ion batteries. Dr. Mayyas got his Msc and a Ph.D. in Automotive Engineering from Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina. After graduation in 2012, Dr. Mayyas worked as a research fellow in the University of California-Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where he worked with a team of senior researchers on developing a techno-economic analysis for stationary fuel cells. Dr. Mayyas also got his MBA in managing for sustainability from the University of Colorado in 2018. Dr. Mayyas has authored and co-authored more than 75 journal publications and technical reports.

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.

Ryan Melsert, CEO and CTO of American Battery Technology Company (ABTC), is a pioneering leader in sustainable battery metal solutions. With over 20 years of experience, Melsert has driven innovations such as the commercialization of battery recycling technologies and the production of battery-grade lithium hydroxide from Nevada's claystone reserves. Previously, he contributed to Tesla as R&D Manager, playing a key role at the world’s first Gigafactory. Awarded the prestigious BASF Circularity Challenge, Melsert has authored influential publications, secured patents, and led federal renewable energy projects. A Penn State and Georgia Tech alumnus, he combines engineering expertise with business acumen to redefine sustainable energy solutions and set global benchmarks for ethical innovation.

Dr. Tedjani Mesbahi is a Full Professor of Electrical Engineering at INSA Strasbourg and a Senior Staff Researcher at the ICube Laboratory (CNRS UMR7357). His expertise focuses on smart energy systems, with a specialized emphasis on lithium-ion battery safety, hybrid energy storage, and predictive modeling using multiphysics simulations and Explainable AI (XAI). He coordinates major European initiatives, including ENERGETIC (Horizon Europe) and VEHICLE (Interreg), and leads several innovation and technology transfer projects dedicated to developing circular and intelligent battery technologies. His work strongly emphasizes bridging academic research with industrial applications, maintaining active involvement in technology transfer, international collaboration, and advanced engineering education to ensure impactful innovation from lab to market.

Michael Metzger is the Herzberg-Dahn Chair and Associate Professor of Physics at Dalhousie University. He is one of three principal investigators in the Tesla-Dalhousie research partnership. Metzger co-developed on-line electrochemical mass spectrometry, a gas analysis technique to diagnose battery cells, at TUM in collaboration with BASF and BMW (2013-2017). As a senior research engineer for Robert Bosch (2017-2020), he focused on solid-state batteries. Metzger is one of two co-leads for the Canadian Battery Innovation Center, a $20 million user facility at Dalhousie University for prototyping next-generation batteries. He has 12 patents and over 60 articles in peer-reviewed journals including Nature Materials. Metzger has been awarded the Herbert H. Uhlig Summer Fellowship for 2016 by the Electrochemical Society (ECS), 2016 Evonik Industries Research Prize, and the 2017 PwC “Strategy&” Presidential Award. Recently, he has also been awarded the 2025 ECS Battery Division Early Career Award and the 2025 President’s Research Excellence Award – Emerging Investigator at Dalhousie University. Metzger is also a technical advisor to the German startup, Litona, a spinoff from his lab.

Chris Mi is a fellow of IEEE and SAE, a Distinguished Professor of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and the Director of the US DOE-funded GATE Center for Electric Drive Transportation at San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA. He was previously a professor at the University of Michigan, Dearborn, from 2001 to 2015. He received his BS and MS degrees from Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an, China, and his PhD degree from the University of Toronto, Canada, all in electrical engineering. Previously, he was an electrical engineer with General Electric Canada, Inc. He also served as the CTO of 1Power Solutions and EV Safe Charge Inc. Dr. Mi is the recipient of the “Distinguished Teaching Award” and “Distinguished Research Award” of the University of Michigan, Dearborn. He is a recipient of the 2007 IEEE Region 4 “Outstanding Engineer Award,” “IEEE Southeastern Michigan Section Outstanding Professional Award,” and the “SAE Environmental Excellence in Transportation (E2T) Award.” He received three Best Paper Awards from IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics and two Power Electronics Prize Letter Awards. In 2019, he received the IEEE Power Electronics Emerging Technology Award. In 2022, he was named Albert W. Johnson Lecturer and Distinguished Professor of San Diego State University, the highest honor given to any SDSU faculty, and only one award is given each year. He served as an editor, editor-in-chief, area editor, and editor of over 20 journals and special issues of IEEE Transactions. He has served as the general chair or program chair of over 20 conferences. He has published more than 350 journal and conference papers, owns 20+ issued and pending patents, and delivered over 200 keynote speeches worldwide.

Celina Mikolajczak is a Licensed Mechanical Engineer who has spent 25 years working in the battery industry including senior roles at Exponent, Tesla, Uber, Panasonic, QuantumScape, and Lyten. She has significant experience across the battery industry including in materials development, cell R&D, cell design, pack design, cell & pack manufacturing, failure analysis, factory planning, safety testing & regulatory requirements, especially fire codes related to batteries. Celina is currently on sabbatical and advising companies throughout the battery ecosystem including Voltaiq, Manaflex, VTA Technologies, Battery Associates, Polyplus, Sylvatex, Anthro Energy, and Pranshi Energy.

Chris Mohajer is the Business Development Director at AM Batteries, the leader in dry battery electrode technology. In this role, he develops and strengthens commercial relationships with top battery manufacturers and manages customer engagements to support both technical needs and fundraising efforts. With a decade of experience spanning business development, finance, and technical sales in the battery sector, Chris has a proven track record of bringing diverse stakeholders together to drive innovation and commercialization.

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.

Masatsugu Morimitsu is a professor of the Department of Science of Environment and Mathematical Modeling of Graduate School at Doshisha University, Japan. He obtained his B.Eng., M.Eng., and Dr. Eng. degrees from the Department of Materials Science of Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan. His independent research group focuses on the electrochemistry and materials of novel aqueous rechargeable batteries beyond LIB for stationary energy storage and EVs.

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.

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.

Nathan Nye leads Tesla’s Battery Recycling and Circular Economy strategy across the Americas, driving innovative lifecycle management and integrated lithium-ion battery recovery programs for all business channels. Since 2018, he has spearheaded Tesla’s North American battery recycling operations, playing a pivotal role in establishing the company’s first in-house recycling facility at Gigafactory Nevada in 2020. With over 15 years of expertise in regulated waste and battery recycling, Nathan actively shapes industry standards through his contributions to CalEPA’s Battery Recycling Advisory Group and as Vice Chair of the Manufacturing & Infrastructure Committee for the Li-Bridge Initiative. Previously, he served as a program consultant for Alphabet Inc., supporting subsidiaries like Google, Waymo, and X-Labs in developing safe handling and emergency response protocols for next-generation and end-of-life batteries. Nathan holds an M.S. in Environmental Management from the University of San Francisco and is a combat veteran of the United States Marine Corps.

Andy Oury is a Battery Engineer and the Business Planning Manager for Kurt Kelty, VP Batteries, Propulsion, and Sustainability at General Motors. He has 25 years of experience in automotive product development and battery engineering. Andy works with cross-functional teams to design, source, and manufacture battery and propulsion systems that underpin a full lineup of EVs from the Chevrolet Equinox EV to the Cadillac Escalade IQ. Andy earned a Bachelor’s degree from MIT in mechanical engineering and a Master’s from Purdue in multidisciplinary engineering.

Anil Paryani is an innovator, entrepreneur and environmentalist who has developed and deployed EV battery and charging technology since 1990. He led Tesla’s battery management system for almost 6 years. He started his career at Honda R&D and held various leadership roles at FF, BTC Power, and AeroVironment. In 2017, Anil founded AMP, an E-Mobility company with the mission of electrifying the world. In 2023, Ford Motor Company acquired AMP, where he presently leading the EV Systems Architecture of a ‘Skunk Works” program. Anil has over 35 patents in the field. He graduated with a BSEE from Cal Poly Pomona.

Dr Yatish Patel is an Advanced Research Fellow in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College London. Having trained as a physicist before moving to engineering, his research is based around developing engineering solutions centred around scientific understanding. Having authored over 60 articles his research interests spans battery degradation, electrochemical behaviour and saftey.

Kirstyn Petras is the North America Regional Editor for Metals Recycling at Fastmarkets with coverage encompassing black mass and related battery recycling markets, non-ferrous recycled metals including aluminium and copper, the Midwest ferrous scrap market. Prior to joining Fastmarkets in 2021, she covered petrochemical and uranium markets at Platts and previously worked writing news briefs for NGOs and multinational corporations.

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."

Christophe has built up considerable expertise in the area of batteries. He joined AVICENNE 26 years ago and spent 3 years in Japan analyzing the Japanese electronic, mobile & battery market. Christophe has acquired extensive experience in marketing, strategy analysis, technology and financial studies for the battery and power management fields. He developed the Battery market analysis for AVICENNE, which serves more than 220 customers worldwide. Christophe has published several annual surveys such as "The Rechargeable Battery Market". He is also the founder & chairman of Batteries - an international industry conference held in France since 1999. He is now Director at AVICENNE ENERGY. Globally, he has been involved in more than 300 projects for 200+ customers in the Battery value chain. Before joining AVICENNE, Christophe held a key position in FRANCE TELECOM's innovation division. He has a degree in Chemistry & an MBA in Innovation Management from Paris IX Dauphine. His mother tongue is French, and he speaks fluent English.

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.

Dr. Hélène Porthault earned her PhD in 2011 and has since developed extensive expertise in battery materials, cell prototyping, and process development. During the first decade of her career, she focused on advanced microbattery technologies, working on innovative thin-film deposition processes. She subsequently expanded her research activities to sustainable battery end-of-life management, dedicating five years to the development of safe battery recycling processes. Today, Dr. Porthault specializes in battery cell design, prototyping, and scale-up, supporting industrial partners in the development and implementation of next-generation battery technologies.

Matthias Preindl received the B.Sc. degree from the University of Padova (summa cum laude, 2008), the M.Sc. degree from ETH Zurich (2010), and the PhD degree from the University of Padova (2014), in electrical engineering. He is an Associate Professor at Columbia University, USA. Prior to joining Columbia in 2016, he was an R&D Engineer of Power Electronics and Drives at Leitwind AG (2010-2012), and a Postdoctoral Research Associate at McMaster University, Canada (2014-2015). Dr. Preindl serves as Area Editor of IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology and was the general chair of 2022 IEEE/AIAA ITEC+EATS. He is a Fellow of IET, Senior Member of IEEE, recipient of the NSF CAREER Award (2017), IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics best paper award (2019), and made the list of Fast Company's World Changing Ideas Awards (2022). His research interests include the design and control of motor drives, power electronics, and batteries for transportation electrification and renewable energy.

As a Global Key Account Manager at EV Volumes, I leverage my background in automotive data and sales to drive strategic partnerships and deliver value to key clients. With a deep understanding of the evolving automotive landscape, particularly in the electric vehicle sector, I am dedicated to providing insights and solutions that empower my clients to stay ahead in a rapidly changing market.

Craig Rigby is the President and CEO of COnovate, an innovative materials company developing solutions for advanced battery applications. Rigby joined COnovate in May, 2026 after nearly 20 years at Clarios (formerly Johnson Controls) where he held a series of executive leadership roles in engineering, product strategy, technology planning and business development. Rigby holds engineering degrees from the University of Michigan and Wayne State University.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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-healingâ„¢, which is a direct method to reintroduce lithium, structure, and performance to scrap electrodes.

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.

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.

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.

Dr. Wai Cheong Tam is a Mechanical Engineer in the Fire Fighting Technology Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), where he leads research on AI-enabled safety technologies for firefighting, battery safety, and first responder health monitoring. His work focuses on machine learning, trustworthy AI, and data-driven hazard prediction. Dr. Tam has received multiple awards for his research contributions in fire safety and lithium-ion battery thermal runaway detection, including the Jack Watts Award and the Ronald K. Mengel Award.

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

Shan is the BESS and Energy Research Lead at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, where he focuses on forecasting BESS battery demand and developing new models to better understand market trends and system pricing. He also leads the company’s energy outlook, which includes forecasting solar and wind capacity to help shape future energy planning. Shan has also worked extensively on developing Rho’s EV charging infrastructure coverage.

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.

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.

Adrian Tylim is responsible for driving USA and America’s market at Blue Solutions, a Bolloré company. He has broad experience with renewable energy technologies as an engineer, designer, project, and business developer. He was part of NASA’s space station solar power module team, worked on various California wind energy projects, and was responsible for business development for a leading German solar engineering firm. As a sustainability champion, he designed a solution to eliminate landfills and economically produce renewable energy from waste. He earned an MS in Energy Systems Engineering from the University of Arizona and a BS in Applied Physics from California State University.

Venkat Viswanathan is an Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan and serial entrepreneur, having co-founded Aionics Inc (AI-driven materials design), Chement (zero-carbon cement process) and And Battery Aero (aviation batteries). He is recipient of MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35 and Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, a rare combination, with the former award for entrepreneurial excellence and latter being for academic and theoretical excellence. His academic research record is stellar with a h-index of 65, and total citations of over 18,000, and is named inventor on over 50 patent applications.

Dr. Eric D Wachsman, Director of the Maryland Energy Innovation Institute, is a Distinguished University Professor and the William L. Crentz Centennial Chair in Energy Research with appointments in both the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Maryland. He received his PhD in Materials Science & Engineering from Stanford University, and his BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Wachsman is Past President of The Electrochemical Society (ECS), Editor-in-Chief of Ionics, on the Editorial Board of Scientific Reports, Energy Systems, and Energy Technology, and a member of the American Chemical Society, the International Society for Solid State Ionics, and the Materials Research Society. He is a Fellow of ECS, the American Ceramic Society (ACerS), the National Academy of Inventors, and the World Academy of Ceramics; the recipient of the 2017 Carl Wagner Award from ECS; the 2014 Sir William Grove Award from the International Association for Hydrogen Energy; the 2014 Pfeil Award from The Institute of Materials, Minerals, and Mining; the Outstanding Invention of 2013 award from the University of Maryland Office of Technology Licensing; the 2012 Fuel Cell Seminar & Exposition Award; and the 2012 HTM Outstanding Achievement Award from ECS. His research is focused on solid ion-conducting materials and electrocatalysts, and includes the development of solid-state batteries, solid oxide fuel cells, ion-transport membrane reactors, solid-state gas sensors, and the electrocatalytic conversion of CH4, CO2, and NOx, using advanced ion conducting materials. He has more than 280 publications and 40 patents on ionic and electronic transport in materials, and their catalytic properties, and device performance, and to date four companies have been founded based on these technologies.

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.

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.

Xiaoyu Wen is a Principal Member of Technical Staff at QuantumScape, where she develops and implements image-based deep-learning models to support metrology inspections of solid-state battery components. She also uses AI-generated model predictions to design and refine quantitative metrics that help correlate inspection results with overall cell performance. Prior to joining QuantumScape in 2021 as a Senior Member of Technical Staff, Xiaoyu was a Graduate Student Researcher at University of California, Riverside, and a Battery Research Intern at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Xiaoyu holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrochemical Engineering from Harbin Institute of Technology (China), a Master’s degree in Computer Science from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from University of California, Riverside.

Jay is a material scientist and physicist with over 25 years of technical, business, and academic experience. His career has been focused on understanding and developing electrochemical materials and systems with a focus on lithium-ion batteries, energy policy, and innovation theory. He is a Professor at Carnegie Mellon University in the Materials Science and Engineering & Engineering and Public Policy departments, holds the Trustee Chair in Energy, and is currently on academic leave (after serving as the director of the Scott Institute for Energy Innovation for 6 years). Whitacre developed a novel aqueous battery chemistry that was manufactured and sold by Aquion Energy, a company he founded in 2008 that produced and shipped over 30 MWh of energy storage worldwide. Earlier in his career, he was a Senior Member of the Technical Staff at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he worked as a battery technologist, system engineer, and mission cognizant engineer. Jay holds a BA in Physics from Oberlin College as well as a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan.

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.

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 currently serves as the General Manager of Cambridge EnerTech with primary responsibilities for scientific conference organization and program development within energy market sectors with conferences based in the United States, Asia, Australia and Europe. Prior to that and since 2014, Craig served as Executive Director of Conferences for Cambridge Enertech. Previously to joining CII and forming Cambridge EnerTech, 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 technical marketing.

Dr. Weston Wood is Director for Lithium Separator Development at ENTEK. He earned his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Washington State University in 2012, where his doctoral research focused on structure–property relationships in UHMWPE nanocomposites. Since joining ENTEK in 2013, Dr. Wood has led the development of ceramic and polymer coated separators to improve the performance and safety of lithium-ion batteries. In this role, he has collaborated with industry leaders through the US Department of Energy’s Office of Vehicle Technologies and the USABC to develop advanced separators for next-generation lithium-ion battery technologies.

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.

Dr. Xingcheng Xiao is a Technical Fellow at General Motors’ Battery Research & Development Lab, specializing in energy storage materials and surface engineering. He brings extensive research experience, having previously served as a research associate at Argonne National Laboratory and Brown University before joining GM in 2006. Dr. Xiao has authored over 150 peer-reviewed journal articles across multiple disciplines and holds more than 120 granted patents, along with over 30 pending applications. His contributions have been recognized with numerous prestigious honors, including the Asian American Engineer of the Year award, multiple R&D 100 Awards, SME’s “Innovations That Could Change the Way We Manufacture”, and the Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship in Germany.

Gui-Liang Xu is a chemist in the Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division at Argonne National Laboratory and a CASE scientist at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago. He received his Bachelor’s degree in 2009 and Ph.D. in 2014 from Xiamen University. He has over 15 years of research experience in the design, synthesis and processing of multifunctional materials for advanced energy storage systems, including lithium-ion, sodium-ion, lithium-sulfur, and solid-state batteries. He utilizes cutting-edge characterization techniques to elucidate the fundamental relationships between material structure and electrochemical performance, enabling the development of safer, higher-energy-density battery materials. He has published over 150 publications in high-impact journals including Science, Nature and Nature sister journals and holds 8 US Patent and patent applications.

Dr. Jun Xu currently is an Associate Professor (tenured) in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Delaware (UD), and Director of Vehicle and Energy Safety Laboratory (VESL). Prior to his join at UD, Dr. Xu worked at UNC Charlotte as Assistant Professor and Associate Professor (tenured) from 2018-2023. Dr. Xu was appointed as the founding Director of the NC Battery Complexity, Autonomous Vehicle and Electrification (BATT CAVE) Research Center at UNC Charlotte. He obtained his PhD at Columbia University in 2014 (major in Environmental Engineering and Engineering mechanics). His research expertise sits in the electrochemo-mechanics-thermal coupled modeling and characterization of battery safety and advanced design and understanding of structures upon dynamic loading. So far, Dr. Xu and his students/postdocs have published more than 130 peer-reviewed journal papers, with citation of 5,900+, H-index=44.

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 is the CTO/CSO of Polypore International (Celgard)/Asahi Kasei. He received prestigious NAATBatt Lifetime Achievement Award 2026 along with previous awardees -- J. GOodenough (Nobel), S. Wittingham (Nobel), A. Yaoshino (Nobel) and Robin Zeng (Founder of CATL); and IBA (International Battery Association) Technology Award 2024 for his significant contribution to battery safety, battery safety standards (IEEE P1625 and P1725), 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). The CCS also setup the foundations for modern success of Semi-sold state electrolyte batteries. He is recognized as the leading authority on lithium-ion battery safety and separators. John pioneered the Sulfide SSE with ~ 40 papers (1984-1991) realized S to replace O to enhance ionic conductions the necessity of 3D SSE ionic conduction for ionic interface with cathode and using I to stabilize anode vol change space. 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 more than 300 Publications, hold more than 260 patents, and 4 book book chapters. John received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He also attended Sloan School of MIT.