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| | NiCAT Battery Materials and A.I. Company | Engin Karabudak | CEO |
Small Business
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Other Energy Technologies
| NiCAT Battery Materials and A.I. is pioneering the digital transformation of materials development by combining advanced high-throughput synthesis (HTS) systems with cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) models. Traditional material discovery and industrialization rely heavily on trial-and-error, often taking decades to bring a single material from concept to commercialization. NiCAT has broken this paradigm by engineering an integrated digital reactor platform that automates, parallelizes, and accelerates synthesis experiments while continuously generating structured data. These high-quality datasets fuel proprietary AI and ML algorithms that can learn complex synthesis–structure–property relationships and predict the optimal experimental conditions for desired performance targets.
NiCAT has already proven this model in the field of cathode active materials (CAMs) for rechargeable batteries. Leveraging its HTS-AI pipeline, the company has developed and optimized advanced nickel-rich layered oxides, nickel hydroxides, and mixed transition-metal precursors with unprecedented speed and precision. Materials that would typically take years to design and scale have been realized within months. NiCAT’s approach enables simultaneous exploration of thousands of formulation and process variables, while adaptive machine learning refines synthesis recipes in real time based on experimental feedback. This closed-loop cycle has delivered materials with superior electrochemical performance, scalability, and cost efficiency—demonstrating that data-driven material innovation can outcompete conventional methods.
Building on this success, NiCAT is now extending its AI-powered synthesis platform to the field of magnetic materials. Magnetic compounds, like CAMs, involve complex multi-element chemistries and sensitive process parameters that make conventional R&D slow and unpredictable. By applying its high-throughput synthesis capabilities and self-optimizing AI models, NiCAT aims to accelerate the discovery and industrialization of next-generation magnetic materials with enhanced magnetic strength, thermal stability, and sustainability. This effort represents a natural expansion of NiCAT’s mission: to digitize materials innovation and enable the rapid deployment of breakthrough materials for the industries of the future. |
Website: nicat.co
Email: engin@nicat.co
Phone: 05061125425
Address: GÜLBAHÇE MAH. GÜLBAHÇE CAD. TEKNOLOJİ GELİŞTİRME BÖLÜMÜ NO: 1 /17 İÇ KAPI NO: 26, İzmir, 35430, Turkey
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| | NanoSpective, Inc. | Abinash Kumar | Member of Technical Staff |
Small Business
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Other Energy Technologies
| I am currently a Member of Technical Staff at NanoSpective, Inc., where I lead research initiatives focused on advancing metrology and building strong R&D collaborations with academic and industrial partners. Prior to joining NanoSpective in 2023, I earned my Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and subsequently worked as a postdoctoral research associate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. My research background spans the development and application of multi-scale imaging and spectroscopy to accelerate materials innovation and performance optimization. I have expertise in integrating metrology frameworks to support scalable manufacturing, designing automation and AI/ML-driven data pipelines for reliable quality control, and conducting comprehensive failure analysis to elucidate degradation pathways and microstructural instabilities. In addition, I have supported intellectual property protection through advanced analytical workflows tailored to modern microelectronic devices. A key aspect of my work involves leveraging state-of-the-art monochromated aberration-corrected STEM techniques, with high spatial resolution and sub-10 meV energy resolution, to reveal structure–property–performance correlations at the micro- to atomic-scale.
Topic of Interest:
• Solid state chemistry, high-throughput synthesis and characterization of new phases, including specialized ability in subnitrides, high temperature borides, and carbides |
| FL |
| | Georgia Institute of Technology | Baoyun Ge | Assistant Professor |
Academic
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Other Energy Technologies
| My group focuses in the area of electric machines and power electronics. Related to this program, I am interested in exploring the performance boundary of electric motors using newly discovered permanent magnets and soft magnetic materials. |
| GA |
| | Northwestern University | Mercouri Kanatzidis | Professor |
Academic
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Power Generation: Renewable
| We are a leading group in solid-state chemistry and materials discovery, with over 30 years of expertise in the design, synthesis, and characterization of advanced materials. We have pioneered the discovery of new intermetallics, chalcogenides, and related quantum materials, contributing transformative insights into their structural, electronic, magnetic, and optoelectronic properties. My group over the years has discovered more than 1,000 new compounds, many of which have had significant impact on diverse energy technologies, including thermoelectrics, photovoltaics, radiation sensors, and sorbent materials. Our laboratory maintains state-of-the-art capabilities for exploratory synthesis, including high-temperature solid-state and flux growth methods, thin-film deposition, and advanced air-sensitive techniques. Complementing synthesis, we leverage comprehensive structural and property characterization tools, including single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction, transport and optical measurements, and advanced magnetometry such as MPMS. With deep expertise spanning materials design, structure–property relationships, and functional characterization, we have unmatched capabilities to accelerate the discovery of complex multi-component phases relevant to next-generation magnets and other energy-critical technologies. |
| IL |
| | Powdermet Inc. | Brian Werry | VP of Engineering |
Small Business
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Other Energy Technologies
| Powdermetallurgy - material development through solid state processing. Specialized in manufacturing powders of critical materials, processing by mechanical alloying, advanced and additive manufacture, and inert handling. |
| OH |
| | Stevens Institute of Technology | Yi Bao | Associate Professor |
Academic
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Other Energy Technologies
| My group focuses on developing and applying AI/ML technology for accelerated discovery, design, or understanding of materials. We have developed various computing techniques to predict and optimize material properties. I direct the Smart Infrastructure Lab at Stevens Institute of Technology. The Lab is located at the Hudson Riverside, NJ, with advanced computing facilities and equipment.
A key question that we focuses on is how can we achieve the advantages of data-driven approaches and physics-based approaches. To answer this question, we have developed several techniques for knowledge-guided AI/ML-powered discovery of advanced materials.
Our research has been funded by several government agencies and private companies. Our research has led to over 20 peer-reviewed journal papers, including multiple invited feature papers or review papers.
I am interested in joining and contributing to a team by bringing or strengthening the AI/ML expertise of the team. |
| NJ |
| | Boise State University | Karthik Srinivasan | Assistant Professor |
Academic
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Other Energy Technologies
| Background - Magnetic materials synthesis, soft-magnets, magnetic materials characterization, Co- and Fe-based alloys, nanocrystalline composites
Interest - to develop new magnetic materials with a high saturation magnetization, high thermal stability (up to 300°C) without degradation to magnetic properties, to scale up synthesis from thin films to ribbons, explore new nanocrystalline anisotropy mechanisms, and engineer stable magnetic phases.
Capabilities -
1. Synthesis - High throughput thin film deposition
2. Characterization (with colleagues and shared user facilities at Boise State and elsewhere) - VSM (cryo and high-temp), MFM, DSC, MOKE, HR-TEM, XRD, XPS.
Prior experience - developed soft magnet compositions, synthesized thin films, and ribbons for a NASA project. |
| ID |
| | University of Washington | Serena Eley | Assistant Professor |
Academic
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Other Energy Technologies
| My team specializes in experimental research on superconductivity and magnetism (traditionally focusing on vortex and skyrmion dynamics).
We can perform electromagnetic and structural characterization:
- We have a Quantum Design SQUID magnetometer (MPMS3) for magnetization measurements in temperatures down to 400 mK and fields up to 7 T. Our lab also has an Oxford Telsatron PT for electrical transport down to 1.5 K and fields up to 8 T.
- Our work routinely utilizes the University of Washington's Molecular Analysis Facility (MAF) hosts a suite of standard microscopy instruments. |
| WA |
| | University of Virginia | Bi-Cheng Zhou | Associate Professor |
Academic
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Other Energy Technologies
| Expert in computational thermodynamics and kinetics of materials, phase diagram calculations, diffusion, phase transformation theories, chemical short-range order.
I am interested in contributing to the team by bringing capabilities in CALPHAD modeling of thermodynamic stability and phase diagrams of novel magnetic materials, helping guide synthesis of these materials.
Google scholar:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=1XVWbAMAAAAJ&hl=en |
| VA |
| | University of South Carolina | Hans-Conrad zur Loye | Professor |
Academic
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Other Energy Technologies
| Synthesis and characterization of solid state materials; crystal growth of solid state materials; powder and single crystal X-ray diffraction; SQUID - 7T for magnetic measurements
I am interested in the synthesis and characterization of new materials. |
| SC |
| | Los Alamos National Laboratory | Winson C. H. Kuo | Scientist in Electron Microscopy and Spectroscopy |
Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC)
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Other Energy Technologies
| My research background lies in advanced electron microscopy (TEM, SEM, FIB) and analytical spectroscopy (EDS, WDS, EBSD, EELS), with a focus on linking synthesis, structure, and properties of functional materials. A central theme of my work is the investigation of magnetic materials, where I apply state-of-the-art monochromated and aberration-corrected STEM techniques to reveal nanoscale structural, electronic, and magnetic features that govern performance. By integrating in-situ experiments and spectroscopic analysis, I provide insights into processing–property relationships critical for advancing next-generation magnetic materials used in energy conversion, data storage, and spintronic applications. This expertise not only strengthens fundamental understanding but also supports the design and optimization of magnetic materials with enhanced stability, functionality, and device integration potential.
My academic foundation was established during my Ph.D. in Metallurgy and Materials (2005–2010) at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, where I concentrated on advanced magnetic materials using electron microscopy under the guidance of Prof. Rex Harris, Prof. Ian Jones, and Dr. Andy Williams. Building on this foundation, I have expanded my expertise into a broad technical portfolio, encompassing materials failure analysis and characterization, magnetic materials processing, semiconductor methodologies, nanomaterials mechanical property testing, and in-situ experimentation. As an Elected Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society (RMS), where I have been a member since 2012, I am recognized for my long-standing contributions to the advancement of microscopy in materials research. My proficiency in electron microscopy and simulation (SEM/STEM/FIB) and spectroscopy microanalysis (EDS, WDS, EBSD, EELS) enables me to address complex challenges in material development and performance optimization. Complemented by laboratory management, communication, and mentoring skills, I collaborate extensively with universities, national laboratories, and industry partners worldwide to advance both fundamental science and technological applications.
Interest to the Topic
• Solid state chemistry, e.g., synthesis, characterization of new phases, including specialized interest in sub-nitrides, high-temperature borides, carbides |
| NM |
| | University of Texas at Arlington | J. Ping Liu | Professor |
Academic
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Other Energy Technologies
| Experience of four decades in synthesis and characterization of permanent magnets and nanostructured hard magnetic materials. |
| TX |
| | Stanford University | Wendy Gu | Assistant Professor |
Academic
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Other Energy Technologies
| Additive manufacturing, soft magnets, microstructural engineering and characterization |
| CA |
| | Advanced Cooling Technologies Inc. | Mruthunjaya Uddi | Senior R & D Engineer |
Small Business
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Other Energy Technologies
| Our expertise includes:
Advanced 2-phase thermal management
Plasma synthesis of materials, PEALD, PECVD
Thin film deposition methods
Laser and optical diagnostics
Plasma-catalysis |
| PA |
| | Dartmouth College | Ian Baker | Professor |
Academic
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Power Generation: Renewable
| 30 years expertise in synthesis, magnetic characterization, and microstructural analysis of both hard and soft magnets. |
| NH |
| | University of Virginia | W. Streit Cunningham | Assistant Professor |
Academic
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Power Generation and Energy Production: Liquid and Gaseous Fuels/Nuclear
| My research interests are largely on the development and implementation of high-throughput methodologies for the synthesis and optimization of novel materials. To that end, I have had a long-standing interest in the development of automated and in-situ techniques across a broad spectrum of materials characterization approaches. Historically, the bulk of my research has focused on structural materials for extreme environments, and particularly nuclear materials. We are in the process of constructing our laboratory, which will feature an automated pipeline from combinatorial thin film deposition to rapid XRF chemical mapping and nanoindentation, with the option to add other techniques as needed. Significant experience in electron microscopy and X-ray synchrotron techniques. |
| VA |
| | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Jie Lian | Professor |
Academic
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Power Generation and Energy Production: Liquid and Gaseous Fuels/Nuclear
| Solid state synthesis of high-performance magnets by advanced manufacturing approaches such as low temperature spark plasma sintering and cold sintering. Microstructure & anisotropy control and characterization of the sintered magnets. Data-based materials discover of materials for functional and structural applications. |
| NY |
| | University at Buffalo, The State University of New York | Jiayu Peng | Assistant Professor |
Academic
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Other Energy Technologies
| We are an interdisciplinary computational research group in the Department of Materials Design and Innovation at the University at Buffalo. Our mission is to develop physics-informed, data-driven machine learning methods that capture the fundamental laws of materials thermodynamics and surface kinetics from atomistic simulations and characterization data. By doing so, we empower researchers to construct materials-centric AI solutions that address urgent societal challenges, such as energy security, critical minerals, and clean technologies.
For the ARPA-E MAGNITO program, our group can contribute at the interface of AI/ML and computational discovery, including graph neural networks, high-throughput DFT simulations, generative modeling of novel structures, thermodynamic stability prediction, and phase diagram modeling.
We have been in active touch with experimental colleagues in the fields of thin-film synthesis and characterization of magnetic materials, solid-state chemistry, and advanced synchrotron X-ray characterization, who have expressed strong interest in participating in this program. Together, we envision a strong, well-rounded team that leverages both computational and experimental expertise.
At this stage, we are particularly interested in connecting with senior experimentalists in magnetic physics and magnetic materials (especially permanent magnets) who might provide contributions and/or leadership in this effort. |
| NY |
| | CorePower Magnetics | Dr. Kyle Schneider | Engineer |
Small Business
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Other Energy Technologies
| Dr. Kyle Schneider is an interdisciplinary mechanical engineer at CorePower Magnetics conducting research and development of new soft magnetic alloys, material processing of soft magnetic ribbons, and advanced electric machines. CorePower Magnetics is a power magnetics solutions provider which designs and manufactures transformers, inductors, and electric machines based on its proprietary alloys, processing methods, and design methodologies. The key enabling technologies for these products are the advanced soft magnetic alloys and their processing methods which afford unique device design approaches available through no other manufacturer in the industry.
As a leader in commercialization of new nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloys with vertically integrated pilot-scale manufacturing capabilities from planar flow casting through final component, CorePower Magnetics is uniquely positioned to develop new powerful and low-loss soft magnetic alloys to meet the needs of 21st century power conversion devices. CorePower’s alloy design expertise, synthesis capabilities, and materials characterization infrastructure enable all aspects of the alloy development process. |
| MN |
| | DOE National Lab | Kevin Griffin and Nicholas Wimer | Senior Researchers- Computational Science |
Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC)
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Other Energy Technologies
| Control and optimization for automated experiments and simulation.
Machine learning, surrogate modeling, multiscale coupling.
Coupling experiments and high-performance computing.
Molecular dynamics, Kinetic Monte Carlo, machine-learned interactomic potentials. |
| CO |
| | Keweenaw Land Association, Ltd | Timothy Lynott | President |
Small Business
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Other Energy Technologies
| Keweenaw Land Association, Ltd. owns approximately 1.1 million acres of private minerals in upper Michigan with good prospectivity for copper, nickel, gold, platinum. palladium, cobalt and possibly other critical minerals. Historically our lands have been unexplored or underexplored but we believe our mineral lands would be ideal candidates to act as testing grounds for the technology suggested by this program. We are not an explorer, we our a mineral management company that would like to partner with ARPA E or a startup looking to develop the necessary technology. |
| MI |
| | University of North Dakota | Nagababu Andraju | Research Scientist |
Academic
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Other Energy Technologies
| Nagababu Andraju is a early career materials scientist specializing in materials informatics, and sustainable materials development. His work bridges experimental materials research with artificial intelligence, focusing on how machine learning can accelerate the discovery, design, and scalable manufacturing of advanced materials. He works at the intersection of materials characterization and digital informatics, developing approaches to link large-scale datasets with predictive modeling. His long-term goal is to establish frameworks where AI-driven predictions directly inform experimental synthesis, thereby accelerating the creation of sustainable and high-performance materials. |
| ND |
| | T2M Advisors | Gregg Cremer | Partner |
Small Business
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Other Energy Technologies
| T2M Advisors exists to help you turn your breakthrough technologies into commercially successful products. We’ve been in your shoes: our founding team includes a deeptech CEO who has raised millions in public and private funding and a former ARPA-E Tech-to-Market Advisor and SCALEUP Program Director. We know exactly what investors, reviewers, and corporate partners look for – because we’ve sat on every side of the table. Connect with us to learn how we can accelerate your technology’s commercialization. |
| CA |
| | Texas Tech University | Zeeshan Ahmad | Assistant Professor |
Academic
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Power Generation: Renewable
| Background in computational materials science - DFT, MD, phase-field approaches; machine learning
Expertise in computational and AI-assisted discovery of materials for diverse applications. Interested in the prediction of magnetic properties of materials, such as magnetocrystalline anisotropy and exchange energy, with high-fidelity approaches to systematically search magnetic candidates.
Looking to collaborate with teams that have expertise in material synthesis and magnetic characterization. |
| TX |
| | Iowa State University | Duane D. Johnson | Distinguished Professir |
Academic
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Other Energy Technologies
| Unique theory-guided Design and Discovery of Alloys for numerous properties integrated with combinatorial experiments. Years of successful energy technological design with validation, including novel computational tools. |
| IA |