People — The McCloskey Lab at UC, Berkeley

Principal Investigator

Featured

Bryan D. McCloskey
Department Chair and Professor, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering

B.S: Colorado School of Mines, 2003
Ph.D.: University of Texas, Austin, 2009
E: bmcclosk@berkeley.edu
UC CBE, LBNL ESDR, LinkedIn, Google Scholar

Bryan McCloskey is the Department Chair and Warren & Katharine Schlinger Distinguished Professor in Chemical Engineering in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. He also holds a joint appointment as a Faculty Engineer in the Energy Storage and Distributed Resources Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. His laboratory explores numerous applications of electrochemistry to energy sustainability, conversion, and storage. Current projects focus on electrochemical regeneration of alkaline sorbents for direct air CO2 capture, elucidating the fundamental electrochemistry of metal-air batteries, and understanding a variety of challenges facing Li-ion batteries, including high voltage cathode stability, advanced cathode material development (Ni-rich and Li- rich NMC oxides and Li-excess disordered rocksalt materials), extreme fast charging, and low temperature and high transference number electrolyte formulations. He has co-authored more than 175 articles and has won numerous awards for his research, including The Electrochemical Society Charles Tobias Award, The International Society of Electrochemistry Tajima Prize, and the VW/BASF Science Award- Electrochemistry.

Postdoctoral Researcher

Featured

Bernardine (Didi) Rinkel
B.A. University of Cambridge, 2016
M.Sci. University of Cambridge 2017
Ph.D. University of Cambridge 2022
E: rinkel(a)berkeley.edu

Didi’s current research focuses on electrolyte degradation at positive cathodes.

Graduate Students

Featured

Ning Guo
NSF Graduate Research Fellow
5th year graduate student
B.S. Texas A&M University, 2021
E: ningxguo(at)berkeley.edu
LinkedIn and Google Scholar

Ning’s current project focuses on developing novel liquid electrolytes to enable extreme fast charging of lithium-ion batteries. He received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University in 2021. He performed his undergrad research with Dr. Perla Balbuena focusing on first-principle calculations and molecular dynamics simulations of SEI nucleation on lithium metal anodes. In his free time, he likes going on long hikes, geocaching, and cycling.

Zach Tronstad
5th year graduate student
B.S.E. Arizona State University, 2019
E: zachtronstad(at)berkeley.edu
LinkedIn and Google Scholar

Currently, Zach studies ion transport in composite solid electrolytes for lithium metal batteries. He received his B.S.E. in Chemical Engineering from Arizona State University in 2019. During his time as an undergraduate researcher, Zach worked with Dr. Matthew Green to investigate the effect of hydrophilicity on PVC/PVA electrospun membranes for water filtration. Outside the lab, Zach likes to read and play sports, especially frisbee and basketball.

Jaeheon Lee
4th year graduate student
B.S. Pohang University of Science and Technology, 2019
E: jaeheon_lee(at)berkeley.edu
LinkedIn, Google Scholar, and Personal Website

Currently, Jaeheon studies the electrochemistry of solid-state metal-air batteries using Differential Electrochemical Mass-Spectrometry (DEMS). Jaeheon received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and Chemical Engineering from POSTECH in 2019. Before coming to Berkeley, Jaeheon spent 3 years as a Researcher at the Agency for Defense Development, studying the synthesis and numerical analysis of optimized porous materials and membranes for gas adsorption. In his free time, Jaeheon enjoys watching an orchestra, cooking, and playing musical instruments.

Justin Rastinejad
4th year graduate student
B.S. University of Connecticut, 2022
E: justin.rastinejad(at)berkeley.edu
LinkedIn

Justin's current research studies disordered rock salt (DRX) cathode materials and tuning the electrolyte to enhance their stability. Using the lab's Differential Electrochemical Mass Spectrometry (DEMS), Justin can analyze the gases evolved in situ during cycling. Outside of lab, Justin enjoys exploring the Bay Area's various restaurants and hiking trails, and performing STEM outreach through BASIS.

Devin Schinski
4th year graduate student
B.S. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 2022
E: devin_schinski(at)berkeley.edu
LinkedIn

Devin's current research focuses on studying concentrated aqueous electrolytes at electrode interfaces. His work endeavors to better understand the effects of confinement on the structure and dynamics of the electrical double layer. In his free time, he likes to play guitar, go hiking, and cook.

Feben Wolde-Semayat
2nd year graduate student
B.S./M.S. Drexel University, 2024
E: feben_wolde-semayat(at)berkeley.edu
LinkedIn

Feben currently studies the interfacial and transport limitations of sodium-ion batteries. She earned her B.S. in Chemical Engineering and her M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Drexel University in 2024, where she worked with Dr. Maureen Tang on investigating the role of additives in enhancing hydrogen electrocatalysis. In her free time, Feben enjoys exploring coffee shops, going to museums, and live music.

Libby Katzman
2nd year graduate student
B.S. Columbia University, 2024
E: libby_katzman(at)berkeley.edu
LinkedIn

Libby studies transport phenomena in complex electrolytes for next generation battery design. Libby gains insight into these systems by using a combination of fundamental electrochemical techniques and Electrophoretic Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. Outside of lab, Libby enjoys judo, engaging with grad student organizations, and exploring new places.

Conrad Goffinet
1st year graduate student
B.S. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2020
M.S.CEP Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2021
E: goffinet(at)berkeley.edu
LinkedIn

Conrad currently studies transport phenomena in composite polymer/ceramic electrolyte systems. He is interested in using fundamental electrochemical techniques and continuum modeling to better understand transport characteristics and mechanisms. Before coming to Berkeley, Conrad spent time as a bioprocess engineer at Eli Lilly and an R&D engineer at Via Separations. Outside of the lab, Conrad is an avid intramural athlete, baseball fan, and vinyl enthusiast.

Anna Burson
1st year graduate student
B.S. Georgia Institute of Technology, 2025
E: anna_burson(at)berkeley.edu

Anna studies sodium plating detection methods within sodium-ion batteries. She earned her B.S. in chemical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology in 2025, where she contributed to research projects investigating electrode materials for redox flow battery and solid state battery technologies. In her free time, Anna enjoys swimming, baking, and snowboarding.

Undergraduate Students

Featured

Noe Jean
Senior, Chemical Engineering
LinkedIn

Noe works with Karim studying lithium and sodium electrolyte transport phenomena. Outside of the lab he enjoys going on walks, reading, and playing basketball.

Jiyun Kang
Senior, Chemical Engineering
LinkedIn

Jiyun works with Jaeheon to study cathode materials for lithium-air batteries in humid conditions. She enjoys picnics, reading, and exploring new dessert places.

Carolina Davalos
Junior, Chemical Engineering

Carolina works with Jaeheon to study Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) as a solid electrolyte for batteries. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies, exploring new places, and listening to music.

Catalina Bello
Junior, Chemical Engineering

Catalina works with Feben and Ning to study sodium plating and stripping phenomena. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, trying different cuisines, and exploring botanical gardens.

Fernanda Vasquez
Junior, Chemical Engineering
LinkedIn

Fernanda works with Libby studying transport phenomena in battery electrolytes, exploring how solvent properties shape ion behavior. Outside the lab, she enjoys reading, baking, and exploring the outdoors.

Daniel Harith Bin Mohd Khiri
Junior, Chemical Engineering

Daniel works with Justin studying how electrode fabrication and mixing conditions influence cathode reactivity in lithium-ion batteries. Outside the lab, he enjoys a good game of tennis and travelling with his friends while trying new food.

Visiting Scholars

Alumni

Featured

Karim Karouta (PhD 2025)
B.S. University of Texas, Austin, 2019

Post-lab position:

Kiwoong Lee (Postdoc 2024-2025)
B.S. Seoul National University, 2013
M.S. Seoul National University, 2015
Ph.D. University of Michigan, 2023

Post-lab position: Assistant Professor, Yonsei University

Jeonghoon Lim (Postdoc 2022-2025)
B.S. Hanyang University, 2015
M.S. KAIST, 2017
Ph.D. Georgia Institute of Technology, 2022
LinkedIn and Google Scholar

Post-lab position: Assistant Professor, Chungnam National University

Deyang Yu (Postdoc 2023-2025)
B.S. Qingdao University of Science and Technology, 2010
M.E. Institute of Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2014
Ph.D. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2021 Postdoctoral Scholar, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2021-2022
Google Scholar

Post-lab position:

Rodrigo Hernandez (B.S. 2025)

Post-lab position: LinkedIn

Featured

Hailey Boyer
B.S. University of South Carolina, 2020

Rania Ahmed (B.S. 2025)

Dimitrios Fraggedakis (Postdoc 2021-2024)
Miller Research Fellow
B.S. University of Patras, 2015
Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 2021

Post-lab position: Assistant Professor, Princeton University

Jen Yu Lee (Visiting Scholar 2023-2024)
B.S. National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, 2018

Pranav Ramachandra (B.S. 2024)

Helen Bergstrom (PhD 2023)
Thesis Title: Characterizing Ion Correlation and Transport in Next-Generation Lithium Battery Electrolytes
NSF Graduate Research Fellow
B.S. Brown University, 2015
LinkedIn and Google Scholar

Post-lab position: Battery Materials Scientist at Aluminio Inc.

Matthew Crafton (PhD 2023)
Thesis Title: Deciphering Electrochemistry of Li-Excess, Cation-Disordered Rocksalt Cathode Materials
B.S. Cornell University, 2018
LinkedIn

Post-lab position: Research Scientist at Sylvatex

Tzu-Yang Huang (PhD 2023)
Thesis Title: Advancing Titration and Mass Spectrometry to Quantify Mixed Redox Processes in Li-Excess Cation Disordered Rock Salt Cathodes
Berkeley Taiwan Fellow
B.S. National Taiwan University, 2013
M.S. National Taiwan University, 2015
LinkedIn and Google Scholar

Post-lab position: Battery Scientist at Anthro Energy

Zach Konz (PhD 2023)
Thesis Title: Lithium Plating Detection, Quantification, and Modeling to Enable Lithium-Ion Battery Fast-Charging
B.S. University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2018
LinkedIn

Post-lab position: Senior Battery Engineer at Form Energy

Fatima Yousuf (B.S. 2023)
Senior, Chemical Engineering

Post-lab position: Battery Engineer at Aluminio

Kylie Cheong (B.S. 2024)

Post-lab position:

Amanda Conde Del Moral (Amgen Summer Scholar, 2023)

Post-lab position: Materials Science Ph.D. student at Georgia Institute of Technology

Elyse Kedzie (PhD 2023)
Thesis title: Exploring Metal-Air Batteries with Quantitative Methods
B.S. University of Southern California, 2017
NSF Graduate Research Fellow

Post-lab position: California Energy Commission

Jingbo Wang (Postdoc 2022-2023)
B.S. Wuhan University, 2012
Ph.D. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2018
Postdoctoral Scholar, University of California Los Angeles, 2018-2021
LinkedIn and Google Scholar

Post-lab position: Senior Scientist, Merck

David Brown (PhD, 2022)
Thesis title: Lithium-ion battery limitations under extreme operating conditions.
B.S. Columbia University, 2017
NSF Graduate Research Fellow

Post-lab position: Senior Member of the Technical Staff at QuantumScape

Kara Fong (PhD, 2022)
Thesis title: Ion correlations and transport in Li-ion battery electrolytes
B.S. Stanford University, 2016
M.Phil. University of Cambridge, 2017
NSF Graduate Research Fellow
Berkeley Graduate Study Fellow

Post-lab position: Trinity College Junior Research Fellow, University of Cambridge; Incoming Caltech Assistant Professor, 2025

Lori Kaufman (PhD, 2022)
Thesis title: Gas evolution studies on emerging cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries
B.S. Yale University, 2016

Post-lab position: Scientist, Redwood Materials

Donghun Lee

B.S. Yonsei University, 2007
M.S. Yonsei University, 2009

Current position: Cathode material development project, Battery R&D, LG Energy Solution

Ananya Subramani (BS, 2022)
Current Employer: Cuberg

Sarah Berlinger (PhD, 2021)
Thesis title: The governing interactions in fuel-cell catalyst-layer inks
B.S. Columbia University, 2016
NSF Graduate Research Fellow

Current position: Postdoctoral scholar in the lab of Prof. Joelle Frechette at UC Berkeley

Eric McShane (PhD, 2021)
Thesis title: “Quantitative analysis of graphite interphasial species and implications for fast charging”
B.S. Cornell University, 2016
NSF Graduate Research Fellow

Current position: CEO and Co-Founder, Electroflow Technologies

Elizabeth Corson (PhD, 2020)
Thesis title: “Plasmon-Enhanced Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide“
B.S. Illinois Institute of Technology, 2011
NSF Graduate Research Fellow
LinkedIn and Google Scholar

Current position: Assistant Professor, University of Kansas

Lexi Ringsby (BS, 2021)
Current position: PhD student at Stanford University

Brendan Wirtz (BS, 2021)
Current position: PhD student at Stanford University

Joe Papp (PhD, 2020)
Thesis title: “High voltage reactivity in lithium batteries“
B.S. University of Kentucky, 2015
NSF Graduate Research Fellow
LinkedIn and Google Scholar

Current position: CTO at Anthro Energy

Srinivasan Ramakrishnan (Postdoc, 2018-2020)
B.Sc (Hons.) Chemistry, SSSIHL, 2010
M.Sc Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, 2012
Ph.D. Chemistry, Stanford University, 2017
LinkedIn | Personal Website | CV

Current Position: Assistant Professor of Chemistry at IIT, Bombay

Peter Dudenas (PhD, 2020)
B.S. Penn State University, 2014
Primary Advisor: Adam Weber, LBNL

Thesis title: Method development for polymer thin film characterization with applications in perfluorinated sulfonic acid polymers

Current position: Postdoctoral researcher at NIST, Polymer Processing Group

Featured

Kristian Bastholm Knudsen (Postdoc, 2016-2019)
B.Sc. Aalborg University, 2010
M.Sc. Aalborg University, 2012
Ph.D. Technical University of Denmark, 2015
Postdoc. Technical University of Denmark, 2016
Visiting Scientist, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2016
LinkedIn and Google Scholar

Current position: Product Developer at Unisense

Kyle Diederichsen (PhD, 2019)
Thesis title: “High transference number polymer-based electrolytes for lithium batteries“
B.S. University of Colorado, Boulder, 2014

Current position: Postdoc in Alan Hatton’s group at MIT.

Erin Creel (PhD, 2019)
Thesis title: “Shining a light on plasmonic photoelectrochemical carbon dioxide reduction“
NSF Graduate Research Fellow
B.S. Sewanee-The University of the South, 2013
LinkedIn

Current position: Postdoc in the Oak Ridge National Laboratory roll-to-roll manufacturing group.

Eddy Zaia (PhD, 2019)
NSF Graduate Research Fellow
B.S. Columbia University, 2012
LinkedIn and Google Scholar

Alex King (Amgen Summer Scholar, 2019)
LinkedIn

Current position: Chemical Engineering undergraduate at University of Michigan.

Byungchun Park (Visiting Scholar, 2017-2019)
B.S. Hanyang University, 2005
M.S. Hanyang University, 2008

Current position: Cathode material development, Battery R&D, LG Chem.

Sara Renfrew (PhD, 2019)
Thesis title: “Tracing Interfacial Reactivity of Lithium Transition Metal Oxides Through Outgassing”
NDSEG Fellow

Davis Perez (B.S., 2018)
Current position: Stanford Chemistry graduate student

Meron Tesfaye (PhD, 2019)
Thesis title: “Understanding the Impact of Confinement on Ionomer Thin-film Transport Properties”
Primary advisor: Adam Weber
NSF Graduate Research Fellow

Louis Hartmann (Visiting Scholar, 2018)
B.S. Technical University Munich, 2017
LinkedIn

Colin Burke (PhD, 2018)
Thesis title: "Electrolyte Engineering to Improve Capacity and Rechargeability in the Lithium-Oxygen Battery”
Current employer: Exponent
NASA NSTRF Fellow
LinkedIn and Google Scholar

Jessica Nichols (PhD, 2018)
Thesis title: "Sodium-Oxygen and Magnesium Metal Electrochemistry for Energy Storage Applications”
Current employer: Dow Chemical
NSF Graduate Research Fellow
LinkedIn and Google Scholar

Rickey Terrell (Amgen Summer Scholar, 2018)
Current Position: University of Cincinnati undergraduate
LinkedIn

Hyo Won Kim (Postdoc, 2015-2018)

Current position: Assistant Professor at KENTECH, Korea

Matthew Liu (BS, 2018)
Current position: PhD student at Stanford Chemical Engineering

Robert Sengpeil (Visiting Scholar, 2017)
Current position: RWTH Aachen University Graduate Student

Nika Mahne (Visiting Scholar, 2017)
Nika's doctoral thesis on ''Singlet Oxygen in Non-Aqueous Battery Chemistries'' (Dr.techn., Graz University of Technology, 2018) comprised her results compiled at the McCloskey lab on the electrochemical oxidation of lithium carbonate.

Adrian Davey (Amgen Summer Scholar, 2017)

Hilda Buss (PhD, 2017)
Thesis title: "Design, Synthesis, and Characterization of Functional Materials for Battery Electrolyte and Marine Antifouling Applications"
Current employer: Exponent
NSF Graduate Research Fellow
LinkedIn

Youngsang Kim (Postdoc, 2015-2017)
Current employer: Lam Research
LinkedIn

Yihan Zhang (BS, 2017)
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Sophia Chan (BS, 2017)
Current position: PhD student at Columbia U. Chemical Engineering
NSF Graduate Research Fellow (starting fall 2017)

Keren Zhang (BS, 2017)
Current position: PhD student at Georgia Tech Chemical Engineering

Christopher Dekmezian (BS, 2014-2016)
Current position: Engineer at QuantumScape

Jakob Asenbauer (Visiting Scholar, 2016)
Current position: University of Regensburg Graduate Student

Howie Nguyen (Amgen Summer Scholar, 2016)
Current position: Georgetown undergraduate

Francis Richey (Postdoc, 2014-2015)
Current employer: EOS Energy Storage

Burkhard Ohs (Visiting Scholar, 2015)
RTWH Aachen

Charles Wan (Amgen Summer Scholar, 2015)
Current position: Cornell undergraduate

Jia Ji Lin (Amgen Summer Scholar, 2014)
Post-lab position: NYU undergraduate