Project Abstract: NSF NRT: ENERGIZE – Interdisciplinary graduate program integrating data science in energy materials research

Award Number (FAIN): 2244216

Overview: The overall goal for the proposed interdisciplinary training program is to provide a mechanism to train today’s students to solve tomorrow’s problems. Specifically, we will develop a training program to prepare them to undertake convergent research to tackle the urgent societal problem of developing sustainable energy conversion and storage. The increasing occurrence of extreme weather events, including drought, flooding, wildfires and more, is just one indicator of the growing effects of climate change on society. The development of sustainable energy is one of the most important grand challenges society faces. There have been numerous research studies on various approaches towards addressing the increasing demand for energy including conservation of existing resources, improving energy storage and the development of sustainable energy sources. Solving a complex problem such as providing clean energy for the world requires a convergent approach in which scientists and engineers from various fields work collaboratively. However, most academic research is done in a siloed fashion, where students work closely with one lab on one problem. To address these shortcomings, we propose a new training program designed to produce a cadre of Ph.D. students well equipped to perform energy research and work collaboratively to provide new solutions to sustainable energy development.

To accomplish the objectives of the ENERGIZE NRT, we will recruit talented students interested in pursuing Ph.D. degrees from various departments and programs at Boston University (BU) and provide a unique educational experience by unifying resources in engineering, chemistry, computer science, and data sciences to provide participating students with a broad exposure to energy related issues. The NRT program will fund 5 Ph.D. students for two years each. Additionally, up to 15 additionally Ph.D. and masters students will participate as unfunded trainees. It is expected that over the five years of the program between 100-125 students will participate in the NRT training. BU is an ideal place to launch such a training program as we have a breadth of research opportunities available, numerous connections to industry and government labs, and a wealth of existing educational and professional development opportunities available. However, BU often lacks cohesion across our units, and most student experiences are limited to one department or lab. The objective of the ENERGIZE training program is to create new synergies between groups performing research in photochemical conversion, electrochemical conversion, electrochemical storage, and photochemical storage while concurrently providing a holistic education for students grounded in physical and computational experimentation, and data science.

Keywords: Photochemistry; Electrochemistry; Energy Conversion; Energy Storage: Sustainable Energy; Data Science: Materials; Track 1.

Intellectual Merit: The goal of the NRT is to train Ph.D. students in cutting edge research in the fields of photochemical and electrochemical storage and conversion, and to provide a holistic education so that they understand their research in the broader field of sustainability. Training students to have both depth in their specific research and also breadth in the field will have a transformative impact on the next generation of researchers. While their individual research projects have the potential to be transformative by developing novel materials and technologies; the more impactful potential is the transformative shift in our approach to educating Ph.D. students that they are well-rounded and prepared for careers in sustainable energy.

Broader Impacts: This training grant provides an opportunity for graduate students to address key scientific challenges in developing materials for sustainable energy, through convergent research. As such the technological and societal impacts are significant. Further, the interdisciplinary nature of research projects will permit students to work across the fields of chemistry, engineering, and data science. Concurrently, participants education will be augmented through mentoring, professional development and extramural experiences. Recruiting and retaining students from under-represented groups (minorities, women, first-generation) is a central tenant of the program and the PIs will work to ensure diversity within the participants and foster an inclusive atmosphere. Collectively, this project will produce a well-trained workforce with extensive experience working on complex interdisciplinary projects in a diverse environment.

Principal Investigators:

PI:

Malika Jeffries, Associate Dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and Associate Professor of Chemistry and Materials Science. 

CoPIs:

David Coker, Professor of Chemistry and Computing & Data Sciences, and Director of the Center for Computational Science (CSS) at Hariri Institute. 

Emily Ryan, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering, and Associate Director of the Institute for Global Sustainability (IGS).

James Chapman, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering.

Brian Kulis, Associate Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, and Computing & Data Sciences.

Core Faculty:

Sahar Sharifzadeh, Associate Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Materials Science Engineering, and Computational Chemistry.

Joerg Werner, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Engineering.

Bjoern Reinhard, Professor, Chemistry and Materials Science Engineering.

Xi Ling, Associate Professor, Chemistry and Materials Science Engineering.