Six Degrees of Separation: Connecting Research with Users and Cost Analysis

Abstract

Shreya H. Dave graduated with her PhD in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. Her research focused on the design and manufacture of graphene oxide membranes for water desalination, including fundamental characterization methods of graphene oxide, membrane synthesis, and economic analysis of the role of membranes in cost constraints of desalination plants. She also holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees from MIT in Mechanical Engineering and Technology & Policy. Brent D. Keller completed his PhD in Materials Science & Engineering working with Professor Jeffrey C. Grossman on novel materials development for electronic devices. His work includes the first ever investigation of natural carbon materials such as coal and asphaltenes for thin film electronic and optical devices. He also led an industry and academic collaboration to improve and better understand atomic-layer-deposition-based approaches to two-dimensional semiconductor synthesis. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and holds degrees in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. Karen Golmer is currently the Innovator in Residence at the MIT Deshpande Center. She is an innovative industry leader who facilitates collaboration to advance new technologies, identify technical challenges, and find solutions to mitigate business risks. Karen is a chemist with an MBA and 35 years of corporate experience from lab professional to global program director with companies including GE, Ecolab, Calgon, Diversey, and Kodak. Jeffrey C. Grossman is a Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received his PhD in theoretical physics from the University of Illinois, performed postdoctoral work at U.C. Berkeley, and was a Lawrence Fellow at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Dr. Grossman's group uses a combination of modeling and experiment to gain fundamental understanding, develop new insights based on this understanding, then use these insights to develop new materials with improved properties for energy conversion, energy storage, and membrane-based separation technologies.