*This event has reached full capacity and is no longer accepting new registrations.* 

Is Illinois emerging as the next clean energy hub?

The clean energy transition in the U.S. has presented an unprecedented opportunity for Illinois and Chicago to emerge as a cleantech and clean energy hub in the Midwest. Join a roundtable discussion with leading energy innovators to learn about the new energy industry, and trends and incentives positioning Illinois as a clean energy innovation ecosystem. Clean energy topics will include next generation batteries, grid modernization, and clean hydrogen. Startups from the Polsky Center’s newly launched cleantech-focused accelerator program, Resurgence, will give quick pitches highlighting the region’s most impactful energy technology innovations.

PANELISTS:

Anirban Das, Senior Director, Industrialization, Gotion Inc.

Anirban Das is the Senior Director of Industrialization in Gotion Inc., one of the top 3 LFP LIB manufacturer in the world. Prior to joining Gotion, Anirban worked in companies like Tesla, Apple and Heraeus in engineering, manufacturing design and supplier development roles. He was instrumental in bringing up and industrializing in-house manufacturing teams, as well as contract manufacturers across the globe, launching multiple transformational products in the areas of batteries, consumer electronics and advanced materials. Anirban received his Ph.D. in Materials Science in 2005 from Arizona State University, MS from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and BS from the Government College of Engineering and Ceramic Technology in Kolkata, India.

Ugi Otgonbaatar, Director, Technology Strategy, Constellation

Ugi Otgonbaatar is a Director, Technology Strategy, Grants & Partnerships at Constellation. Since joining the company in 2016, Ugi has been working for Constellation’s (formerly Exelon) corporate R&D Partnership program focusing on early-stage energy technologies including clean hydrogen generation, energy storage and technologies for repurposing the existing nuclear fleet. Ugi holds B.S and Ph.D. in Nuclear Science and Engineering from MIT with research experience in thermal hydraulics, computational materials science and has previously worked for the R&D groups of Electricité de France, General Electric and Tokyo Electric Power company.

Meena Beyers, Vice President of Business and Community Development, Nicor Gas

Meena Beyers serves as vice president of Business and Community Development for Nicor Gas. In this role, Meena leads strategies to strengthen customer and community engagement to drive sustainability and economic growth. She oversees several business units including Customer Solutions, Energy Efficiency, Community Affairs, and Community and Economic Development, providing strategic leadership of key areas including corporate giving, community engagement, customer development and large customer services. In this role, Meena also serves as Vice Chair of Nicor Gas’ foundation, Northern Illinois Community Initiatives, and leads numerous innovation strategies, including advancements in clean energy technologies and spearheading Smart Neighborhood, Nicor Gas’ net zero communities initiative. She earned a bachelor’s degree in urban planning and development from Ball State University and a master’s degree in public service management from DePaul University.

MODERATOR:

Y. Shirley Meng, Professor of Molecular Engineering, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at University of Chicago

Y. Shirley Meng is a professor of molecular engineering at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering. She also serves as the chief scientist of the Argonne Collaborative Center for Energy Storage Science (ACCESS) Argonne National Laboratory. Her work pioneers in discovering and designing better materials for energy storage by a unique combination of first-principles computation guided materials discovery and design, and advanced characterization with electron/neutron/photon sources. Meng is the principal investigator of the research group – Laboratory for Energy Storage and Conversion (LESC). She has received several prestigious awards, including the Faraday Medal of Royal Chemistry Society (2020), International Battery Association Battery IBA Research Award (2019), Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists Finalist (2018), C.W. Tobias Young Investigator Award of the Electrochemical Society (2016), Science Award Electrochemistry by BASF and Volkswagen (2014) and NSF CAREER Award (2011). Meng received her PhD in Advanced Materials for Micro & Nano Systems from the Singapore-MIT Alliance in 2005, and her bachelor’s degree with first-class honor from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore in 2000.

RESURGENCE COHORT 1 COMPANIES:

• Alpha Nur // Alpha Nur is pioneering nuclear fuel recycling technologies for clean energy and national security by converting highly enriched uranium (HEU) into high assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU).
• Blaze Power // Blaze Power is championing the power of lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) and iron-based cathodes and advancing sustainability with next-gen battery materials.
• C+UP // C+UP’s carbon capture and utilization technology converts carbon dioxide and renewable electricity to sustainable propane as a non-fossil renewable fuel and chemical feedstock.
• ExPost Technology // ExPost has developed an approach that allows for the efficient regeneration of vital cathode active materials from both manufacturing scraps and spent batteries.
• Natural Science // Natural Science uses natural and environmentally benign materials to tackle oil spills, chemical spills, and water reclamation at the molecular level.
• Stranergy // Stranergy is leveraging the power of additive manufacturing and smart fabrication to transform Vanadium Flow Batteries.