Wes Chang, PhD

Chang’s expertise is in the area of electrochemical energy storage technology – from the batteries that power mobile devices and electric vehicles to the ones that enable home- and grid-level renewable energy storage. He has published research on causes of battery failure and has worked to develop safer, more efficient batteries for electric vehicles.

His research focuses on the electrochemical function of energy storage devices, such as how lithium-ion batteries fail, and how they can be measured using non-destructive techniques. His lab studies how next-generation battery performance can be improved and how their manufacturing can be streamlined, as well as how electricity from renewable solar and wind sources can be used to decarbonize industrial manufacturing.  

He earned a doctoral degree from Princeton University (2017 – 2021) and has worked as a post-doctoral fellow at Columbia University (2021 – 2022) and California Institute of Technology (2022 – 2023). Before his PhD, he worked as a technology consultant at Accenture, focusing on clients in the smart grid and utilities sector, and then as an electrochemist at Primus Power, a zinc-bromine flow battery startup company.