Research Leadership

	Edward Maginn Lead Principal Investigator Liquid Solvation Science Thrust Edward Maginn is the Keough-Hesburgh Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Notre Dame. His research group develops and applies advanced molecular simulation methods to study the structure and thermophysical properties of charged fluids. View Bio
	Kristin Persson Lead Scientist Liquid Solvation Science Thrust Kristin Persson, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, is a recognized leader in the field of high-throughput genomic design of materials for energy storage applications. In the fall of 2008, she started a single-investigator group at Berkeley Lab where she manages associates involved in diverse materials science research activities. View Bio
	Kang Xu Lead Scientist Liquid Solvation Science Thrust Kang Xu, Army Research Laboratory, has extensive expertise in electrolytes and interphasial chemistries. He is an authority in electrolyte materials and fundamental science of interphases; high voltage non-aqueous, aqueous and hybrid electrolytes; non-flammable electrolytes; solvation-interphase correlation; and the interphase-formation mechanism model, In addition, he holds 12 patents. View Bio
	Nitash Balsara Lead Principal Investigator Solid Solvation Science Thrust Nitash Balsara, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, is an internationally recognized expert in polymer materials with 24 years of success across the innovation pipeline and diverse Fortune 500, national laboratory, university, and start-up organizations. His multidisciplinary Berkeley Lab research team developed the breakthrough nanostructured polymer electrolyte (NPE), a solid electrolyte designed for use in rechargeable lithium batteries. View Bio
	Yet-Ming Chiang Lead Scientist Solid Solvation Science Thrust Yet-Ming Chiang is the Kyocera Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). For the past 28 years he has managed a multidisciplinary research team focused on energy science and technology; electrochemical energy storage; processing and physical properties of advanced materials; surfaces and interfaces in solids; and electron microscopy of materials. View Bio
	Jeff Moore Lead Principal Investigator Flowable Redoxmer Science Thrust Jeff Moore is the Stanley O. Ikenberry Endowed Chair at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and former Director for the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. His team focuses on molecular and materials science, neuroscience, biomedical imaging, language science, and behavioral health. He is responsible for leading approximately 1,500 researchers from 40+ different campus departments and associated research staff. View Bio
	Shelley Minteer Lead Scientist Flowable Redoxmer Science Thrust Shelley Minteer is a USTAR Professor in the Departments of Chemistry and Materials Science & Engineering at the University of Utah. She conducts externally-funded research, teaching at the undergraduate and graduate level. View Bio
	Kevin Zavadil Lead Principal Investigator Charge Transfer at Dynamic Interfaces Thrust Kevin Zavadil, Sandia National Laboratories, served as Lead Principal Investigator for the Chemical Transformation Thrust, responsible for developing the science and demonstration prototypes for several electrochemical conversion reactions, including: metal-oxygen, lithium-sulfur, and high efficiency lithium and magnesium deposition/dissolution to support conversion and intercalation chemistries. View Bio
	Karl Mueller Lead Scientist Charge Transfer at Dynamic Interfaces Thrust Karl Mueller is the Chief Science and Technology Officer in the Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. He began his work in JCESR in 2012 as a key research staff member and took on the position of Lead Scientist for the Crosscutting Science Thrust in 2015 and has served as the PNNL Lead Principal Investigator in JCESR since then. View Bio
	Brian Ingram Lead Principal Investigator Science of Material Complexity Thrust Brian Ingram, Argonne National Laboratory, serves on the JCESR Directorate and has been a contributing investigator in the Multivalent Intercalation Thrust since 2013. In this role, he worked to develop, synthesize, and characterize magnesium and calcium intercalation host structures for next-generation batteries. Ingram established the first reported reversible non-aqueous calcium-ion battery system, which was a critical publication to encourage further research in this area. Additionally, Ingram utilized solid-state impedance spectroscopy directly measuring the long-range transport of Mg²⁺ in materials in direct support of NMR and DFT efforts. View Bio
	Gerbrand Ceder Co-Lead Scientist Science of Material Complexity Thrust Gerbrand Ceder is recognized internationally for his achievements in developing novel battery materials and success in managing multidisciplinary research teams through all phases of the innovation cycle, from basic science to commercialization. During the past two decades, his research at MIT and Berkeley Lab – which combines computational modeling with experimental research − has focused on computational materials science, energy generation and storage, novel materials design, nanotechnology, and thermodynamics. View Bio
	Linda Nazar Co-Lead Scientist Science of Material Complexity Thrust Linda Nazar, a leading authority on advanced materials for electrochemical energy storage and conversion, teaches chemistry and electrical engineering at the University of Waterloo. For the past 15 years, she has concurrently led and integrated a highly regarded research team that investigates new nanomaterials with potential to change the efficiency of how electricity is stored. Among its many accomplishments, Nazar’s team has developed highly ordered interwoven composites that allow lithium-sulfur batteries to approach their theoretical energy density of approximately 2,600 wH/kg − a huge leap over the 200 wH/kg of today’s most energy-dense battery cells. View Bio

Latest Updates

March 7, 2023, News Articles
You’re Invited - JCESR and Beyond: Translating the Basic Science of Batteries

Please join us at Argonne National Laboratory on Tuesday, April 4, 2023 for JCESR and Beyond: Translating the Basic Science of Batteries. Registration is now open. This in-person event will celebrate 10 years of research from the Joint Center… Read More
January 24, 2023, News Articles
A Message from JCESR: In Memory of George Crabtree

It is with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to George Crabtree, a Senior Scientist and Distinguished Fellow at Argonne National Laboratory, and Director of the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR), who passed away unexpectedly on January 23. Dr. Read More
January 13, 2023, Research Highlights
Cyanopyridines As Extremely Low-Reduction-Potential Anolytes for Nonaqueous Redox Flow Batteries

Discovery of a cyanophenylpyridine derivative with a very low reduction potential and good stability during cycling. Read More
December 8, 2022, Research Highlights
Characterizing Redoxmer – Electrode Kinetics Using a SECM-Based Spot Analysis Method

Identified asymmetries in electron transfer (ET) kinetics between the reduction and oxidation of ferrocene-based redoxmers by measuring the ET rate constants (kf/kb) as a function of electrode potential. Read More
November 11, 2022, Research Highlights
Benzotriazoles as Low Potential Anolytes for Non-Aqueous Redox Flow Batteries

We developed an easy-to-synthesize benzotriazole-based anolyte with a high energy redox potential (-2.3 V vs Fc/Fc+) and high solubility that demonstrates stable electrochemical cycling performance. Read More