Yi Cui

Stanford University

Director of Precourt Institute for Energy, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering

At Stanford University, Yi Cui is the director of the Precourt Institute for Energy, co-director of the StorageX Initiative, professor of materials science and engineering and of photon science at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1998 from the University of Science & Technology of China and his PhD in chemistry from Harvard University in 2002. Cui was a Miller Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley from 2002 to 2005 before joining the Stanford faculty. He has founded five companies to commercialize technologies from his lab: Amprius Inc., 4C Air Inc., EEnotech Inc., LifeLabs Design Inc. and EnerVenue Inc. A preeminent researcher of nanotechnologies for better batteries and other sustainability technologies, Cui has published more than 530 studies and is one of the world’s most cited scientists. He is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Materials Research Society, and the Royal Society of Chemistry. He is an executive editor of Nano Letters and co-director of the Battery 500 Consortium. Cui’s honors include Global Energy Prize (2021), Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award (2021), Materials Research Society Medal (2020) and Blavatnik National Laureate (2017).

Sessions With Yi Cui

Thursday, 10 March

  • 10:30am - 11:10am (CST) / 10/mar/2022 04:30 pm - 10/mar/2022 05:10 pm

    Voices of Innovation: Yi Cui
    Interview Innovation & Technology

    One-on-one candid conversations from the foremost and sometimes controversial thought leaders.

  • 01:30pm - 02:10pm (CST) / 10/mar/2022 07:30 pm - 10/mar/2022 08:10 pm

    Long-duration Battery Storage Technology: Who is leading the charge?
    Panel Innovation & Technology

    Decarbonization of the energy system is generating unprecedented interest in long duration energy storage (LDES) technologies. A flurry of LDES innovation is underway to manage structural issues in the electrical power industry and to compete with lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries. What are the characteristics of the key technologies and their opportunities? How can current obstacles of cost and inefficiency be overcome?

  • 03:30pm - 04:10pm (CST) / 10/mar/2022 09:30 pm - 10/mar/2022 10:10 pm

    View from the Ivory Tower: Role of universities in advancing decarbonization technologies
    Panel Innovation & Technology

    After the pandemic-induced drop in 2020, energy demand and emissions are back on their growth trajectories. In its report “Net Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector,” the IEA stated that getting to net-zero by 2050 will require “nothing short of a total transformation of the energy system that underpins our economies.” The report also observed that “the pathway is narrow but achievable.” Shorter innovation cycles and faster scale-up of new and existing energy technologies will be essential in achieving these targets within this time frame. Although the power sector is decarbonizing at a fast pace, other sectors are lagging significantly. How are three of the world’s leading universities addressing this challenge? How are these universities planning to reduce industrial emissions? How are universities, national labs, and energy companies improving their collaborations? What climate-resilient infrastructure investments do universities recommend publicly funding? What is the responsibility of universities to enable and support a “Just Transition” in developing countries? How can universities encourage the next generation to work in the energy industry?

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