ECS 249: Z05 Young Researchers in Western North America – A Special Symposium and Workshop
The Z05 Symposium and Workshop takes place on Sunday and Monday, May 24–25, 2026, in Seattle, WA, during the 249th ECS Meeting. The symposium includes three expert panels from academia and industry, offering graduate students and postdocs valuable insights into career paths and professional development in the ever-evolving field of electrochemistry. Nobel laureate M. Stanley Whittingham is featured in the third panel.
The symposium is designed to:
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Strengthen the academic and professional network of early-career researchers across Western North America;
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Foster meaningful connections among scientists and engineers;
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Introduce relevant research grant opportunities;
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Provide space for participants to share their work and experiences.
Panelists will be available during coffee breaks to provide feedback and engage in networking discussions.
Fundamental & Frontier Electrochemistry and Critical Materials Panel
Sunday, May 24, 2026 | 0845–1000h PST
Dr. Gao Liu hosts the first panel. He is Senior Scientist and Group Leader of the Applied Energy Materials Group, Energy Technologies and Systems Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). A Fellow of The Electrochemical Society, he serves as the Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) Consortium lead and coordinator for the Net Zero World Initiative. He will be joined by:
- Prof. Golareh Jalilvand – Principal Investigator, Laboratory for Materials Properties and Structures (LMaPS), University of South Carolina
- Prof. Gabriel Veith – Distinguished Staff Scientist, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL); Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of Tennessee
- Dr. Julia Lamb – Lamb Battery Consulting, Forbes 30 Under 30 – Energy & Green Tech (2025)
- Prof. Donghai Wang, Brown Foundation Chair, Southern Methodist University Lyle School of Engineering
Modeling, Simulation, and AI for Data-Driven Electrochemistry
Sunday, May 24, 2026 | 1445–1600h PST
April (Yun) Li, Senior Battery Cell Engineer at Microsoft, hosts the second panel with participants:
- Xueli (Sherry) Zheng, Staff Scientist, SLAC-National Accelerator Laboratory; Physical Science Research Scientist, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University
- Daniel T. Schwartz, Boeing-Sutter Professor of Chemical Engineering; Director, Clean Energy Institute, University of Washington
- Michael Mazza, Director of Catalyst Engineering, Calicat
- Alejandro A. Franco, Professor, Université de Picardie Jules Verne; Honorary Member, Institut Universitaire de France; Affiliate Professor, University of Washington
Translating Electrochemistry to Impact: Scale-Up, Deployment, Funding, & Collaboration
Monday, May 25 | 0900–1015h PST
Xiong Peng, host of the third panel, is a Research Scientist in the Energy Conversion Group at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). Joining him are:
- M. Stanley Whittingham, Nobel Prize in Chemistry Laureate; Distinguished Professor, Binghamton University, SUNY
- Cortney (Corky) Mittelsteadt, Vice President Electrolyzers, Dioxycle
- Lingping Kong, Assistant Professor, San Diego State University
- Jinhua Sun, Associate Professor, Chalmers University of Technology
Young researchers looking to navigate the frontier of electrochemistry are invited to join these lively and insightful conversations! The symposia organizers thank the institutions that have made the event possible, including the ECS Pacific Northwest, San Francisco, and Canada Sections, as well as the ECS University of Washington and San Diego Student Chapters.
Not yet registered for the 249th ECS Meeting? Register now.