As a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Lisa Je combines molecular dynamics and topological data analysis to create simulations that could speed the development of novel materials. Their specific goal is to design more cost-effective, efficient, and sustainable batteries.
Je has long been interested in that topic. They were just a child when a widespread power outage hit parts of the Northeast in 2003, plunging New York City into darkness.”I was excited to get stranded on the subway and to walk down the tracks to be evacuated,” they say, “and it was great raiding the refrigerator before all our food could spoil. But the batteries in our flashlights kept dying every few hours, and I remember thinking there had to be a better way.”
At Vassar and Dartmouth’s dual degree program, they focused on chemistry and engineering – interests that had been piqued by waging a successful battle against an infestation of bugs in their family’s Brooklyn apartment. After earning two undergraduate degrees in chemistry and engineering respectively, they headed to the University of Wisconsin-Madison for a master’s and PhD program in Chemical Engineering.
There, as a doctoral student, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, and Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society member, they are doing fundamental work to create designer electrolytes for electrochemical storage applications. “Batteries are vital to so many sectors, including transportation and healthcare,” they explain, “so my research has the potential to make a broad, positive impact.”
As a first-generation chemical engineer, they also hope to make a positive impact on others who might not feel there is a place in STEM for them. To that end, they currently serve on the American Institute of Chemical Engineers LGBTQ+ planning committee and feel strongly about serving as a role model and mentor to their students. “Visibility matters,” they say. “My presence in a lab sends a signal that a research career can be for anyone.”