Dennis McOwen, Ph.D., Research Associate
Email: dmcowen@umd.edu

B.S. Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus Ohio
Ph.D. Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina

Research Experience: Undergraduate: Scale up of the chemical looping process using coal to a 25 kW sub-pilot scale reactor. Focused on the kinetics of fuel conversion, fuel fluidization, and coal substitution with more sustainable solid biofuels. PhD: Liquid electrolytes for advanced Li-ion batteries. Focused on solution structure of electrolytes at the molecular-level, its impact on physical properties and battery performance, and the synthesis/development of new lithium salts for advanced batteries.
Postdoc (current): Solid-state ceramic electrolytes for all solid-state Li-ion batteries. Using high conductivity lithium garnet ceramics, I am working on tailoring the electrolyte microstructure and electrolyte/electrode interfacial properties to manufacture stable, high-energy density all solid-state Li-ion batteries.

Yunhui Gong, Ph.D., Research Associate
Email: yhgong@umd.edu

B.S. Applied Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, China
Ph. D. Condensed matter physics, University of Science and Technology of China, China
2011-2014, Postdoc research associate, University of South Carolina, USA
2014-Present, Postdoc research associate, University of Maryland, College Park, USA

Research: Energy Conversion and Storage, Solid State Battery, Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

Lei Zhang, Ph.D., Research Associate
Email: leiz@umd.edu

B.S. Physics, Zhejiang University, China
M.S. Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, CAS, China
Ph.D. Materials Science and Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT

Research Experience: BS: Growth of silicon nanowire for solar cell application. MS: STM characterization of organic molecule self-assembly on metal surface; Growth and transport property of graphene on metal surface; First principle calculation of molecular self-assembly. PhD: Spray pyrolysis to make nano-sized composite cathode in SOFC; Tape casting to fabricate SOFC multilayer structure; Advanced electrochemical characterization in solid state ion conducting materials; Space charge theory to optimize ionic conductivity in solid state ion conducting materials; Finite element analysis on solid state energy device stability; Synthesis and stability test of core-shell nobel metal nanoparticles as cathode catalyst for PEMFC; Kinetic study of CO poisoning on nobel metal catalyst.

Griffin Godbey
Email: ggodbey@umd.edu

Griffin is PhD candidate in the Materials Science and Engineering department focusing his research on materials for energy storage. His current research with the Wachsman Lab includes the synthesis, characterization, and scale up of solid state lithium-ion conductive ceramics for high-energy density batteries.

B.S. Materials Science and Engineering, University of Maryland, 2015

Tanner R. Hamann
Email: thntropy@umd.edu

Tanner began his graduate studies in Materials Science and Engineering at UMD in 2013. He is currently researching ceramic electrolytes for integration in all solid-state lithium ion batteries. His work focuses on synthesizing and characterizing controlled electrolyte microstructures, modifying electrode-electrolyte interfaces, and improving electrode utilization in fully assembled test cells.

B.S. Materials Science and Engineering, University of Maryland, 2013

Matthew Limpert
Email: mlimpert@umd.edu

Matthew began his PhD in Material Science and Engineering at UMD in Fall 2014. His undergraduate degree is from Villanova University in 2010 with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. While there, he investigated process improvements for on-campus bio-diesel production. Matthew worked in industry on man portable power systems before beginning his graduate work. Currently, Matthew is working on characterizing solid state electrolyte samples on inductively couple plasma-mass spectrometer.

B.S. Chemical Engineering, Villanova University, 2010
M.S. Chemical Engineering, Villanova University, 2012

Jack "Evans" Gritton
Email: egritton@umd.edu

Evans is a first year PhD student in Materials Science and Engineering. He completed his undergraduate degree in the same field at the University of Tennessee in 2016. His current research focus is the synthesis and characterization of solid state electrolyte for lithium batteries. Previous research includes work with carbon composites, electroactive carbon, and industrial waste heat recovery.

B.S. Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2016.