Advancing Innovation Through Collaboration and Impact 

The Energy Transition Network (ETN) continues to bring together leaders across industry, academia, and national laboratories to accelerate the translation of cutting-edge research into scalable, real-world energy and sustainability solutions. This quarter highlights key achievements that exemplify cross-sector collaboration, scientific leadership, and measurable progress toward a more sustainable future.

Directors Message

We are pleased to welcome our incoming members to the Energy Transition Network (ETN), Gotion Inc., ExPost Technology, and TeraWatt Technology! Your arrival marks a pivotal moment as we expand our collective expertise across the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, Physical Sciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, and our industry partners. The fresh perspectives and technical ambitions you bring are essential to our mission of developing the materials and processes that will define the next frontier of energy resilience. We are thrilled to have you join this collaborative ecosystem, and we look forward to the breakthroughs your unique insights will undoubtedly spark.

While we embrace this growth, we want to express our deepest gratitude for the steadfast support of our longstanding members Argonne National Laboratory, Cummins, Ensurge Micropower, MTI Corporation, SES AI Corporation, South 8 Technologies, UL Solutions, and Unigrid Battery. Your commitment has been the bedrock of ETN’s success, providing the continuity and institutional knowledge necessary to tackle complex challenges in basic science. Your dedication to ETN has allowed the Network to flourish as a key component of the Energy Technologies Initiative, a core pillar of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth. The synergy between our domain experts and our industrial collaborators continues to prove that the path to a sustainable future is built on a foundation of shared vision and rigorous science.

Finally, we are particularly proud to announce the launch of our Summer Early Start Fellows Program. This initiative represents our investment in the “human talent” aspect of our mission, providing our youngest researchers with the resources and mentorship they need to become leaders in the field. By bridging the gap between classroom theory and laboratory practice, this fellowship ensures that the next generation of scientists is fully equipped to meet the energy demands of the future. We are not just building better batteries or more efficient catalysts; we are empowering the people who will lead the global energy transition for decades to come.

Y. Shirley Meng, Director, Energy Transition Network

Laura Gagliardi, Co-Director, Energy Transition Network

Featured News

Welcoming New Industry Partners

Gotion Inc., ExPost Technology, and TeraWatt Technology have officially joined ETN!

Gotion Inc. established multi-million-dollar research collaboration with UChicago!

Led by Prof. Shirley Meng, University of Chicago established a strategic partnership with Gotion Inc. (North America) to advance the frontiers of distributed energy storage solutions, focusing primarily on electrification of the grids, renewable energy integration, storage, and power conversion.

Faculty Highlights

Shirley Meng and Laura Gagliardi Recognized for Leadership in Energy Innovation

Meng and Gagliardi were featured in the “Women in Energy” exhibit at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry. The exhibit highlights leaders shaping the future of energy and advancing cleaner, more responsible solutions.

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ETI Faculty Driving Global Energy Dialogue at CERAWeek 2026

ETI faculty Chibueze Amanchukwu, Shirley Meng, and Shrayesh Patel contributed to global discussions at CERAWeek 2026, addressing next-generation energy challenges spanning AI-driven battery discovery, advanced materials, and carbon capture.

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Chibueze Amanchukwu Named 2026 Sloan Research Fellow

This recognition highlights Amanchukwu’s leadership in advancing next-generation energy storage materials and reinforces ETI’s role in cultivating high-impact scientific talent.

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Research Breakthroughs

Advancing Next-Gen Research Through Partnerships

A partnership between Xanadu and the University of Chicago, supported by ARPA-E, is advancing quantum algorithms to better understand defect formation in battery materials. Shirley Meng serves as co-PI, contributing expertise in battery science.

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Unlocking Sulfur for Next-Generation EV Batteries

Research led by Shirley Meng demonstrates that lithium-sulfur battery performance can be significantly improved through advanced assembly strategies rather than new materials. 

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Advancing Measurement Science for Battery Materials

Researchers from UChicago PME, Argonne National Laboratory, ESRA, and Thermo Fisher Scientific have developed a damage-minimized framework for electron microscopy of reactive battery materials.

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Advancing Computational Frontiers for Materials Innovation

A recent Chemical Reviews article co-authored by Laura Gagliardi highlights advances in multireference embedding and fragmentation methods for classical and quantum computing, enabling more accurate simulations of complex chemical systems. These approaches address critical computational bottlenecks in modeling materials and chemical processes, with direct implications for energy storage, catalysis, and advanced materials design.

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Translating Research into Real-World Impact

UChicago Chemists Move from Discovery to Design with Metal-Organic Frameworks

Researchers at UChicago are leading a “reticular revolution,” shifting metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) from trial-and-error discovery toward predictive, design-driven materials innovation. Led by Laura Gagliardi, this multidisciplinary effort integrates artificial intelligence, high-throughput experimentation, and cross-institutional collaboration to accelerate catalyst discovery for clean energy applications.

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From Discovery to Deployment: Prussian Blue for Scalable Purificatione

Researchers in the Liu Lab, led by Chong Liu, have demonstrated a new application of Prussian blue as an efficient and scalable material for purification.

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Meng Lab Advances Dry Electrode Technology for Scalable EV Batteries

Researchers in the Meng Lab, led by Shirley Meng with contributions from Minghao Zhang, have achieved a major advance in dry electrode processing for EV batteries.

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Tian Lab Advances Sustainable Healthcare Electronics

Researchers in the Tian Lab, led by Bozhi Tian, are developing strategies to improve the sustainability of rapidly growing healthcare electronics.

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Looking Ahead

Building on its current foundation, ETN remains committed to strengthening partnerships across industry, academia, and national laboratories to accelerate innovation, and drive measurable impact. Upcoming convenings will include workshops focused on how to better engage and grow cross sector collaborations, translating scientific breakthroughs into scalable solutions and address critical energy and sustainability challenges. Stay tuned for more exciting activities from ETN!