April 10, 2025 – 10:30 am – Wu and Chen Auditorium
Program Director – ARPA-E
“Converting Scientific Discovery and Disruptive Ideas Into Impactful Energy Technologies with ARPA-E”
Abstract: This talk presents the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) and how stakeholders at the University of Pennsylvania can engage in a dialog with the funding agency. ARPA-E advances high-risk high-impact transformational technologies to generate, store, and use energy. As part of the US Department of Energy, ARPA-E’s mission is to enhance the economic and energy security of the United States through the development of energy technologies that (i) reduce energy import, (ii) improve energy efficiency, (iii) reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and (iv) ensure the resilience, reliability, and security of the U.S. energy infrastructure. Another mission of ARPA-E is to ensure that the United States maintains a technological lead in developing and deploying advanced energy technologies. These missions are achieved through rigorous program development, competitive project selection, and active program management to ensure impactful expenditures. We will discuss the different funding mechanisms, the lifecycle of ARPA-E programs and how stakeholders can engage at different stages. This discussion will be illustrated with the speaker’s experience as a faculty member at UCLA and in his roles at ARPA-E where he developed and managed the following programs:
Superconducting Tape program aiming to manufacture high performance, low cost, high temperature superconducting tapes to support developments in fusion reactors, electric aviation, and power transmission.
IGNIITE supporting early-career innovators seeking to convert disruptive ideas into impactful new technologies across the full spectrum of energy applications.
CIRCULAR developing foundational technologies to achieve a circular electric vehicle battery supply chain.