Welcome
Our research asks a simple question: how can we make energy materials withstand damage and last longer? We study active materials used in systems ranging from batteries to nuclear reactors, where repeated operation can reshape the material’s microstructure and generate large internal stresses.
We focus on how defects and microstructural features influence where damage begins, how it spreads, and whether it remains manageable or leads to failure. Examples include electrochemo-mechanical degradation in solid electrolytes and helium embrittlement in irradiated metals. To uncover these mechanisms, we combine high-throughput atomistic modeling with autonomous materials synthesis and in operando microscopy and diffractometry.
Our goal is to use this understanding to design materials that are more durable, reliable, and sustainable for next-generation energy technologies.
Research Areas
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Mechanical behavior of inorganic materials under multiphysical environments
(e.g., electrochemical, nuclear):
- Solid electrolytes, mixed ionic-electronic conductors, metals for batteries
- Metal-ceramic composites for nuclear reactors
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AI-driven materials design copilot, integrating:
- Defect/microstructure-aware materials informatics
- High-throughput atomistic modeling
- Robot-assisted autonomous synthesis
- In operando microscopy and diffractometry
News
- 🚧Our group website is under construction.🚧
- Sept 2026: UW–Madison ME Senior Design Team Badger Power — Dillon, Elijah, Rachel, and Tyler — kicked off development of a low-cost, automated powder dispensing system to support autonomous solid-state synthesis.
- Sept 2026: UW–Madison ME Senior Design Team Bucky's Chill Zone — Franklin, Cleo, Henry, and Ian — began building a portable, solar-powered cooling tent for the Wisconsin Energy Institute.
- Sept 2026: Sangjun, joining us from KAIST in South Korea (BS and MS), officially started his PhD in the group. Welcome, Sangjun!
- Aug 2026: Kausani completed her summer internship with us. Wishing her all the best in what comes next!
- May 2026: Kausani, an undergraduate student at IIT Madras in India, joined us for a summer research internship. Welcome!
- May 2026: Yuhan, an MSE undergraduate at UW–Madison, joined the group. Welcome, Yuhan!
Openings
We’re looking for curious and motivated PhD students to join us in Fall 2027! Experience with electrochemical experiments is a plus, but we welcome applicants from a wide range of backgrounds. Here are some useful links for anyone interested in joining the group: