JaiShaun Boyd graduated from NC State University in 2024 with a B.S. in Materials Science & Engineering. While at NC State, he conducted research in Professor Veronica Augustyn’s lab, where he focused on lithium-ion insertion into Niobium Molybdenum Oxide Wadsley-Roth Crystallographic Shear Phases. Through his research, he gained hands-on experience with coin-cell synthesis and electrochemical characterization. He is excited to continue building his knowledge at the University of Oregon as he pursues a career in clean energy storage.
www.linkedin.com/in/jaishaun-boyd
Charlie Wilson graduated with a BS in Chemistry from Emory University in 2024. While he was completing his undergraduate studies, Charlie conducted a literature review on recent advancements in electrolyzers for carbon dioxide reduction, which sparked his interest in electrochemistry. He is excited to broaden his knowledge of electrochemistry and join the industry to help drive the transition towards clean energy and emissions reduction.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-wilson-013413306/
Dora Latt (he/him) graduated from University of Massachusetts Boston with a chemistry degree. During his undergraduate career, he worked under Dr. Niya Sa on various batteries and kinetic projects. His senior capstone was on Prussian Blue characterazation using SEM, elemental mapping as well as running CV to asses the kinectic behavior of Prussian Blue. He is extremely excited that he is going to have an opportunity to get diversify knowledge of electrochemistry in this program.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorasulatt/
Emily Pearce completed her B.S in Chemistry at Lewis University in 2024. While pursuing her degree, Emily participated in undergraduate research characterizing defects within metal-organic frameworks for the purpose of photocatalytic hydrogen production. Inspired by this research experience, she is excited to continue her education in electrochemistry and use this opportunity to gain further insight into green energy.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-pearce-416661179/
Jason Chiu graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2024 with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. During his undergraduate studies, he conducted research on continuum-scale modeling of CO2 reduction membrane-electrode-assembly systems coupled with photovoltaics for multi-carbon product generation. He later worked at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, focusing on advanced manufacturing and catalysis testing of 3D-printed electrochemical reactors for biomass oxidation. Additionally, he gained experience at FormFactor Inc., where he worked on stress monitoring of plating baths, developing new plating formulas, and computational modeling of electrodeposition. Currently, Jason is pursuing this program to strengthen his knowledge of electrochemical fundamentals and prepare for a dynamic career in industry.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jc5/
Iqra Fatima earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). Following that, she completed a master’s in Materials Chemistry at Florida State University (FSU), where she worked in Dr. Hanson lab on binding molecules to surfaces and studying their photophysical properties, as well as testing solar cells. She interned at Electric Hydrogen, where she focused on membrane swelling tests for an electrolyzer and developing in-house membranes. This experience deepened her interest in clean hydrogen and the renewable energy sector. Iqra is eager to gain further scientific and hands-on experience in battery testing and simulations at OCE to help me achieve my goal of becoming a researcher in the renewable industry.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/i-fatima/
Akhil Chezhian completed his undergraduate degree in Chemical and Electrochemical Engineering at CSIR-CECRI (Central Electrochemical Research Institute) in 2024. His studies included significant exposure to electrochemistry, particularly through projects focused on batteries and supercapacitors. He also gained practical experience during an internship at Ohmium, a PEM electrolyzer manufacturing company. His experience in undergraduate solidified his interest in the field of batteries, shaping his future aspirations in electrochemical technologies.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/akhil-k-c-cecri/
Nyi Nyi graduated from University of California: Irvine. He previously interned at L’Oreal which sparked his interest in material analysis and his most recent internship with StoreDot exposed him to the field of energy storage and provided experiences with battery manufacturing and formulation. Aside from electrochemistry, he has a passion for cars, and fully restored a 1992 Mazda Miata. He is inspired to pursue all three interests in a career in energy storage for the automotive industry. Now he hopes to learn more about clean energy and how to use that knowledge to help make an impact to a sustainable future in the automotive industry.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nyi-n-1a65331b8/
Kamala Katta graduated from University of Washington with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering in 2024. During her undergraduate studies she worked as a research assistant in various labs. Under Dr. Hugh Hillhouse, she investigated photoinduced degradation pathways of high bandgap perovskite films under various levels of encapsulation and utilized XRD, UVVis-NIR spectroscopy and other techniques to determine optical and structural characteristic of films. While under Dr. Dan Schwartz, she investigated battery modeling data to compare validity of different models alongside graduate students. Kamala also participated at a co-op at Cuberg, a lithium metal battery company in 2023, where she engaged with both the manufacturing and R&D teams. In the future, she hopes to contribute to research and development in sustainability and use her skill set to solve pressing issues to create a more environmentally friendly planet.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kamala-katta-899b5b1bb/
Valery Araoz graduated from Texas A&M in December 2022 with a bachelor’s in chemical engineering. After her bachelor’s, she worked in a laboratory at a chemical manufacturing facility in Texas, gaining analytical chemical experience and engineering insight via an engineering internship within the company. Having achieved an understanding of how green energy could be implemented in industry, she is currently pursuing her Master’s in Electrochemistry at the University of Oregon. Valery is excited to dive into electrochemistry and start her career in the energy storage industry.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/valery-araoz/
Jenna Dibeh participated in a dual-degree engineering program during her undergraduate studies. She graduated with a degree in Chemistry from Xavier University of Louisiana with a minor in mathematics and a degree in Chemical Engineering from Tulane University. Her undergraduate research at XULA focused on analyzing PEG segmented co-polymer phosphonium ionenes as an all solid-state electrolyte alternative for lithium battery implementation. Jenna also participated as an undergraduate research assistant at the University of Chicago where she strengthened many synthetic and analytic laboratory skills. She analyzed rheological and mechanical properties of previously synthesized dynamic reaction-induced phase separation network species. The research also focused on the synthesis and characterization of plastic crystal materials for electrolytes in lithium metal batteries. Jenna is passionate, determined, and excited to expand her skills and knowledge in the field of electrochemistry.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenna-dibeh/
Yiduo Xie holds an M.S. in Environmental Science from Wageningen University and Research (WUR), Netherlands. At WUR, he worked in the Environmental Technology group, where his first research focused on the electro-catalytic role of trace metals in microbial electrosynthesis to convert CO2 into multi-carbon compounds, supervised by Sanne de Smit and David Strik. Later, he studied the removal of organic micropollutants in rapid sand filters using a graphene-sand composite under the direction of Jinsong Wang and Nora Sutton. Now, with a strong ambition for real breakthroughs, he is committed to expanding his skills and knowledge in electrochemistry, aiming to become an expert in energy storage and decarbonization.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yiduoxie/
Tristan Kryl graduated in 2024 from Oregon State University with a degree in chemical engineering. For all four years he participated in Dr. Zhenxing Feng’s battery research lab and had his focus on aqueous sodium ion batteries. He is looking forward to expanding his knowledge of the fundamental sciences involved in battery technology to ensure that his research is prosperous, both in academia and in industry.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tristan-kryl-05311781/
Emma Schick completed her B.S in Chemistry at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2023, graduating with college honors as a Cum Laude and with Departmental Distinction. While pursuing her degree, Emma participated in undergraduate electrochemical research for two years under Dr. Jordi Cabana-Jiminez and Dr. Indrani Roy. Her work focused on chemical bonding in redox active oxyfluorides, such as Li₂NiO₂F and Li₂NiOF2, and their candidacy as future high energy density cathodes. She presented her research at the Fall 2022 American Chemical Society Conference and is a member of the National Honor Society for Women in Chemistry, Iota Sigma Pi. Fueled by resilience and a passion for electrochemistry, Emma looks forward to contributing to the revolution of the energy sector and advancing battery technology.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmacschick/
Sam Gessler graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2024 with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and Financial Mathematics. While at Wisconsin, he worked in the lab of Professor Dawei Feng to investigate viologen-based anolytes for redox flow batteries. He also worked as a Battery Materials Intern at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on several projects which focused on optimizing electrolyte performance. Sam is excited to pursue a career centered on developing and improving technologies for energy storage.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-gessler-7a3967260/
Nadia Barnard is a fourth-year undergraduate student in the Robert D. Clark Honors College at the University of Oregon, majoring in chemistry while concurrently pursuing a master’s degree in electrochemistry through the Accelerated Master’s Program (AMP). She previously interned at NREL studying membrane electrode assemblies. Her research at Oregon focuses on the ion transfer kinetics of model systems, with her current project examining proton transfer into thin-film tungsten oxides in various environments. Nadia is passionate about renewable energy research, particularly hydrogen fuel cells, and plans to pursue a PhD in electrochemistry after graduation.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadia-f-barnard/
Caitlyn Cannan is a senior undergraduate in the Robert D. Clark Honors College earning a B.S. in chemistry. She is additionally pursuing a master’s degree as a part of the 2024 cohort with the OCE’s Accelerated Electrochemistry Masters Internship Program. Currently, her research project at UO focuses on understanding the phase transition mechanisms for interfacial ion transfers across various electrochemical systems. She was a UO Presidential Undergraduate Research Scholar in 2023 and a RISE Germany researcher in the summer of 2024.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlyncannan/
Anand Udayakumar graduated from Pondicherry University with a graduate degree in Nanotechnology. He did his undergraduate degree B.Tech. in Chemical and Electrochemical Engineering at CSIR- Central ElectrochemicalResearch Institute (CECRI), a prestigious institution for electrochemistry. He pursued his undergraduate research under Dr. M. Sathish where he focused on graphene-based electrodes for supercapacitors. At 2019, he completed a summer internship at Aalto University, Finland, where he
Jake Tjalkens graduated from Colorado State University in 2024 with a B.S. in chemical and biological engineering. His enthusiasm for learning landed him an undergraduate research assistant position in the Prieto Group. There, he colloidally synthesized various stoichiometric ratios of selenium-copper-phosphide nanoparticles which were characterized and analyzed for use in the Prieto Battery. He was inspired by the electrochemists working at the Prieto Group and is excited to expand his skillset to the world of electrochemistry, where his principal interest has changed from batteries to green hydrogen.
Kalea Adams graduated from Southern Oregon University with a BS in Chemistry. While pursuing her degree, she participated in undergraduate research characterizing a potassium-based water-in-salt system. This sparked her interest in electrochemistry, and she is excited to learn more and find a specialty within the field!
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kalea-adams-6112b9214/
Miles Bouknight graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology with a B.S. In Biochemistry in 2024. During his undergraduate career, he conducted research with Professor Seyhan Salman’s lab, investigating the photophysical properties of OLED materials using quantum mechanical calculations. Building on his foundation of biochemistry, Miles is pursuing a master’s in Electrochemical Technologies, aiming to merge his interest in biological systems and technology. In the future, he hopes to aid in the development of medical devices and biosensors for healthcare applications.