Research and Innovation in Batteries and Microelectronics
Bin Li, PhD
Senior Scientist and Energy Storage R&D Lead for Transportation and Grid, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Dr. Bin Li is a Senior Scientist and Energy Storage R&D Lead for transportation and grid at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Li has a joint faculty appointment with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Li received his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Tsinghua University, China, in 2010, followed by Postdoctoral Fellowships at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2010-2011) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) (2011-2013). Li was promoted to Staff Scientist at PNNL in 2014 and then joined Idaho National Laboratory in 2019. In 2023, Dr. Li was strategically hired by ORNL to develop the field of both transportation and stationary energy storage. As the PI, he was leading several DOE VTO battery projects (such as Battery500 and Cathode CEI consortium) and OE projects (such as ROVI) as well as internal projects. He has published more than 80 journal articles (H-index: 51) in high-impact journals, such as Nature Materials, Nature Energy, Nature Communications, Nature Nanotechnology, Advanced Energy Materials, Nano Letters, ACS Energy Letters and so on, holds over 15 patents in the field of energy storage and conversion (4 Pending; 10 Grant; 1 License), and is an active symposium/workshop organizer and member of professional scientific societies. Li is internationally recognized in the field of energy storage, including stationery and transportation energy storage, spanning from discovering new materials and developing novel technologies for Li metal batteries (Li-S and Li-NMC), all solid state batteries, redox flow batteries (including electrolytes, membrane and electrodes) and zinc ion battery, to understanding failure modes for batteries impact life and performance and thus rationally designing pouch cells or kw-class stacks with improved battery performances.
Shabnam Hematian, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Shabnam Hematian is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), where she leads a research group focused on redox-driven processes in biological and energy-related systems. Her expertise lies at the intersection of inorganic chemistry, electrochemistry, and catalysis, with research spanning homogeneous photocatalysts, protein scaffolds, and electrochemical systems. She has been recognized with prestigious awards, including an NSF CAREER Award, a DOE Early Career Award, an NIH Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA), and a 2024 UNC Research Opportunities Initiative (ROI) award, which has led to the establishment of the Nature Inspired Collaborative Energy Research (NICER) initiative among multiple institutions across the UNC system. Dr. Hematian earned her Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University, where she worked with Professor Ken Karlin studying the coordination chemistry of heme/Cu systems. She then conducted postdoctoral research in the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), working with Professor Jonas Peters on the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) to carbon-based fuels. She later joined Professor Harry Gray’s group as a postdoctoral fellow, investigating O2 reactivity in metalloenzymes. In addition to her research accomplishments, she has received the Bernard-Glickman Dean’s Professorship at UNCG, the Arthur E. Martell Early Career Researcher Prize from the Journal of Coordination Chemistry, and was named a 2023 Rising Star in Organic & Inorganic Chemistry.
At the BRIGHT Institute Critical Materials Symposium, Dr. Hematian will share insights from her group’s recent work on battery materials, leveraging bioinspired approaches and her expertise in redox chemistry and electrochemical processes to tackle challenges in energy storage and conversion.
Lin Ma, PhD
Assistant Professor, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Dr. Lin Ma is currently an assistant professor at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He began his scientific career in the energy storage field with the development of conversion cathode materials under the supervision of Prof. Yong Yang at Xiamen University, where he obtained his BSc in chemistry. He then earned his Ph.D. in 2019 by working with Prof. Jeff Dahn on functional materials for high voltage Li-ion batteries at Dalhousie University with the support of Killam Fellowship and Tesla. Supported by Dr. Brad. E. Forch Distinguished Postdoc Fellowship, he then moved to the U.S. Army Research Laboratory/University of Maryland for postdoc training (2019-2022) under the supervision of Dr. Kang Xu, Prof. Chunsheng Wang, and Dr. Oleg Borodin. Dr Ma’s research interests focus on the use of electrochemistry and materials science in clean energy technologies (mainly energy storage systems) to address energy and environmental challenges. He is the author and co-author of more than 80 peer-reviewed journal articles, 2 book/book chapters and 6 patents. He was the winner of 2025 IAAM Scientist Medal, 2024 Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, 2023 ECS Battery Workforce Development (“Components for Lithium Ion Batteries: Electrolytes, Anodes, and Cathodes”) Award, 2023 Journal of Materials Chemistry A Emerging Investigators, 2022 Young Investigator Award (Batteries, MDPI), 2021 ECS Battery Division Battery Division Postdoctoral Associate Research Award, 2017 ECS Battery Division Student Research Award. He serves as an active reviewer in the energy field for 80+ publications including Nature, Nature Energy, Journal of Power Sources, ACS Energy Letters, etc.
Muthukumaran Sivaraman
Tata Battery Consultant, Battery Gigafactory Manufacturing
Leader in e-mobility, battery technology, and the charging ecosystem, with nearly two decades of experience in product strategy, technology innovation, and manufacturing. Currently driving multiple EV battery gigafactory setups across North America and Europe, shaping the future of sustainable energy and electrification. A passionate advocate for 100% clean energy transportation, committed to accelerating the global transition to a greener future.
