People — The McCloskey Lab at UC, Berkeley

Principal Investigator

Featured

Bryan D. McCloskey
B.S. Colorado School of Mines, 2003
Ph.D. University of Texas, Austin, 2009
Postdoc., IBM Almaden Research Center, 2009-2011
Research Staff Member, IBM Almaden Research Center, 2012-2013
E: bmcclosk(at)berkeley.edu
ResearchGate and Google Scholar

Bryan D. McCloskey joined the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in January 2014. He was previously a Research Staff Member at IBM Almaden Research Center, where he worked on the BATT 500 project to elucidate fundamental characteristics of electrochemical processes occurring in Li-O2 batteries. His PhD thesis, supervised by Benny Freeman at the University of Texas at Austin, focused on molecular transport through microporous and dense polymeric membranes, with a particular emphasis on membranes for water purification. He received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines where his research, supervised by Drs. Thomas McKinnon and Andrew Herring, focused on employing molecular beam mass spectrometry to characterize aromatic hydrocarbon formation during pyrolysis of cellulosic chars.

Postdoctoral Researcher

Featured

Kristian Bastholm Knudsen
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
E: kknu(at)berkeley.edu
LinkedIn and Google Scholar

Kristian works on the lithium-O2 battery and has a keen interest in the interfacial challenges. His Ph.D., supervised by Senior Scientist Johan Hjelm at the Technical University of Denmark, focused on performance and lifetime limiting effects in alkali metal-O2 batteries using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Kristian received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. from Aalborg University where his master thesis was conducted in conjunction with Akron University and focused on superhydrophobic polymeric membranes.

Srinivasan Ramakrishnan
B.Sc (Hons.) Chemistry, SSSIHL, 2010
M.Sc Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, 2012
Ph.D. Chemistry, Stanford University, 2017
E: srini(at)berkeley.edu
LinkedIn

Srini is an inorganic electrochemist by training, and is currently studying high voltage degradation mechanisms of novel cathode materials in Lithium ion batteries. His PhD thesis at Stanford University, advised by Prof. Christopher E. D. Chidsey and co-advised by Prof. Robert M. Waymouth, focused on the design of molecular electrocatalysts for the selective reduction of CO2 to liquid fuels near the reversible potential. His Masters' thesis work with Prof. T. Pradeep at IIT Madras was focused on nanostructure growth in bacteria with hyperspectral imaging and electron microscopy.

Graduate Students

Featured

Meron Tesfaye
NSF Graduate Research Fellow
6th year graduate student
B.S. University of Maryland, College Park, 2013
E: mtesfaye(at)berkeley.edu

Meron is currently working in Adam Weber's Lab at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and is shadow advised by Bryan. Her work focuses on understanding transport resistances of the catalyst layer for fuel cell application. She is currently working on gas transport through ultra-thin nafion membranes and effect of humidity. Her past research experience includes hydrogen production of algae, TiO2 thin films for solar applications, and process optimization in plasticizer synthesis. Meron enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing volleyball, watching documentaries, biking and reading.

Sara Renfrew
NDSEG Fellow
6th year graduate student
B.S. Caltech, 2011
E: renfrew(at)berkeley.edu

Prior to coming to Berkeley in 2013, Sara worked on li-ion batteries, organic dielectrics, and DNA electrochemistry.

Kyle Diederichsen
5th year graduate student
B.S. University of Colorado, Boulder, 2014
E: kyled(at)berkeley.edu

Kyle Diederichsen graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering in 2014 and joined the lab in the fall of that year. In the past he has studied graphene growth on copper substrates at NIST in Boulder, spray dried dispersions with Bend Research in Oregon and block copolymer self-assembly in thin films with Mark Stoykovich at CU Boulder. His current research focuses on polysulfone based polymer electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries.

Peter Dudenas
5th year graduate student
B.S. Penn State, 2014
E: pete.dudenas(at)berkeley.edu

Pete is a part of Adam Weber's laboratory at LBNL and is shadow advised by Bryan.

Eddy Zaia
NSF Graduate Research Fellow
5th year graduate student
B.S. Columbia University, 2012
E: ezaia(at)berkeley.edu
LinkedIn and Google Scholar

Eddy is a graduate student in Jeff Urban's lab at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and is shadow advised by Bryan. He is currently investigating hybrid inorganic-organic nanomaterials for thermoelectric applications. Prior to coming to Berkeley, Eddy has worked on a dendrimer-based platform for siRNA drug delivery, angiogenic bio-nanomaterials, and process development for direct CO2-to-biofuel production.

Erin Creel
NSF Graduate Research Fellow
6th year graduate student, Chemistry Department
B.S. Sewanee-The University of the South, 2013
E: erin.creel(at)berkeley.edu
LinkedIn

Erin is interested in using nanocrystals for surface-plasmon-enhanced solar fuel generation.

Elizabeth Corson
NSF Graduate Research Fellow
4th year graduate student
B.S. Illinois Institute of Technology, 2011
E: ecorson(at)berkeley.edu
LinkedIn and Google Scholar

Elizabeth received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. As a Research Associate at Air Liquide she studied CO2 capture from coal-fired power plants using polymeric hollow fiber membranes. She is currently researching photo-electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide. In her free time Elizabeth enjoys singing, dancing, and hiking.

Joe Papp
NSF Graduate Research Fellow
4th year graduate student
B.S. University of Kentucky, 2015
E: joe.papp(at)berkeley.edu

Joe studied the synthesis of water purification membranes and heavy metal capture in his undergraduate research. At UC Berkeley, his research focus is on lithium-ion battery electrode chemistry. Joe also enjoys hiking, reading, and exploring SF.

Sarah Berlinger
NSF Graduate Research Fellow
3rd year graduate student
B.S. Columbia University, 2016
E: sarah_berlinger(at)berkeley.edu

Sarah is co-advised by Adam Weber at LBNL. Her current work focuses on understanding porous electrode formation for application in fuel cells and Li-ion batteries. She also enjoys photography, hiking, and making ice cream.

Eric McShane
NSF Graduate Research Fellow
3rd year graduate student
B.S. Cornell University, 2016
E: ejm293(at)berkeley.edu

Eric received his bachelor's degree in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Cornell University in 2016. At Cornell, he studied scalable synthesis methods for Si and Ge nanowires. In the McCloskey lab, he is exploring electrolyte and electrode engineering to enable the rapid charging of graphite anodes.

David Brown
NSF Graduate Research Fellow
2nd year graduate student
B.S. Columbia University, 2017
E: demoryb(at)berkeley.edu

David received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University in 2017. As an undergraduate researcher, he studied current distributions in water electrolyzers. David's current research focuses on cathode materials for both Na and Li-ion battery applications. In his free time, David enjoys reading and all things outdoor related.

Kara Fong
NSF Graduate Research Fellow
Berkeley Graduate Study Fellow
2nd year graduate student
B.S. Stanford University, 2016
M.Phil. University of Cambridge, 2017
E: karafong(at)berkeley.edu

Kara's research focuses on understanding polymer electrolytes for lithium ion batteries using atomistic computational methods. She is co-advised by Prof. Kristin Persson at LBNL. Outside of lab, Kara enjoys biking, baking, and tie-dyeing.

Lori Kaufman
2nd year graduate student
B.S. Yale University, 2016
E: lori_kaufman(at)berkeley.edu
LinkedIn

Lori graduated with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Yale University in 2016 and worked for a year at Tesla before joining Bryan's lab. Her current research is on oxygen activity in lithium-ion batteries. In her free time, she goes on cycling adventures (occasionally resulting in minor injuries) and plays the violin.

Elyse Kedzie
NSF Graduate Research Fellow
2nd year graduate student
B.S. University of Southern California, 2017
E: kedzie(at)berkeley.edu
LinkedIn and Google Scholar

Elyse completed her B.S. in Chemical Engineering at the University of Southern California in 2017. In her undergraduate research, she studied organometallic catalysis for hydrogen storage and carbon-fiber recycling. Her current research focus is redox mediation in metal-air batteries. Outside of lab, Elyse enjoys snowboarding, swing dancing, and settling Catan.

Helen Bergstrom
1st year graduate student
B.S. Brown University, 2015
E: helen_bergstrom(at)berkeley.edu
LinkedIn and Google Scholar

Helen received her B.S. in Chemical & Biochemical Engineering from Brown University where she studied catalyst design for bio-oil deoxygenation and electrochemical CO2 reduction. Prior to joining Bryan's lab, Helen spent 3 years as a Research Engineer at Saint-Gobain where she studied structure-property-processing relationships in fluoropolymers films and composites for applications in aerospace, dielectrics, and food & pharmaceutical processing. In her free time, Helen enjoys backpacking, cooking, and tinkering with various construction projects.

Matthew Crafton
1st year graduate student
B.S. Cornell University, 2018
E: matthew_crafton(at)berkeley.edu
LinkedIn

Matt completed his B.S. in Chemical Engineering at Cornell University in 2018. In his undergraduate research, he studied the photochemical reduction of CO2 using semiconductor nanocatalysts. In his free time, Matt enjoys playing basketball, hiking, skiing, and fishing.

Tzu-Yang Huang
Taiwan - College of Chemistry Fellow
1st year graduate student
B.S. National Taiwan University, 2013
M.S. National Taiwan University, 2015
E: tyhuang(at)berkeley.edu
LinkedIn and Google Scholar

Yang received his B.S. and M.S. in Chemical Engineering from National Taiwan University. He was involved in research works of Si-composite anode materials for Li-ion/Na-ion batteries and in-situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy, which contributed to the completion of one undergraduate and two graduate research projects. For two years prior to coming to Berkeley, he has worked on electrochemical polymerization in microfluidic devices at Academia Sinica. Outside of studies, he enjoys jogging, swimming, and hiking.

Zach Konz
1st year graduate student
B.S. University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2018
E: zachary_konz(at)berkeley.edu
LinkedIn

Zach started undergraduate research at UW-Madison studying the electrocatalytic oxidation of alcohols using nitroxyl mediators. He spent his final year testing and characterizing Co/C catalysts for ethylene oligomerization. In his free time, he likes to run, play soccer, and practice speaking Spanish.

Undergraduate Students

Featured

Davis Perez
Senior, Chemistry

Davis is a fourth year chemistry student at UC Berkeley. His work is focused on developing nanofeatured metal electrodes for photocatalytic CO2 reduction. Outside of lab, Davis enjoys skiing and playing the trumpet.

Ananya Subramani
Freshman, Chemical Engineering

Ananya is a first-year chemical engineering student at UC Berkeley. She works with Elizabeth on electrochemical reduction of CO2 at plasmonic surfaces. Outside of the lab, Ananya likes to read, run, and find great views around Berkeley.

Visiting Scholars

Featured

Byungchun Park
Visiting Scholar
B.S. Hanyang University, 2005
M.S. Hanyang University, 2008
E: parkbc0225(at)berkeley.edu
Cathode material development, Battery R&D, LG Chem.

Louis Hartmann
Visiting Scholar
B.S. Technical University Munich, 2017
E: louis.hartmann(at)berkeley.edu
LinkedIn

Louis received his B.S. in Chemistry from Technical University Munich in 2017. As an undergraduate researcher, he studied surface passivation and degradation of Ni- and Li-rich cathode materials under Professor Gasteiger. He is currently working on his master’s degree, also at Technical University Munich, and is visiting the McCloskey lab to study charge phenomena in Li-Air batteries. In his free time, Louis enjoys playing sports and exploring the Bay Area.

Alumni

Featured

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)

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)
Current position: University of Maryland, Baltimore County undergraduate

Hilda Buss (PhD, 2017)
Thesis title: "Design, Synthesis, and Characterization of Functional Materials for Battery Electrolyte and Marine Antifouling Applications"
Current employer: Dow Chemical
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)
Current position: NYU undergraduate