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Prof. Jason Hattrick-Simpers joins A3MD

A3MD welcomes Prof. Jason (Jae) Hattrick-Simpers as a new academic co-Principal Investigator. 

Jason Hattrick-Simpers is a Professor at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Toronto and a Research Scientist at CanmetMATERIALS. He graduated with a B.S. in Mathematics and a B.S. in Physics from Rowan University and a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Maryland. Prof. Hattrick-Simpers’s research interests focus on the use of AI and experimental automation to discover new functional alloys and oxides that can survive in extreme environments and materials for energy conversion and storage. Specific topics of interest to the group include corrosion resistant ultra-hard alloys, oxides, nitrides, and carbides; thermoelectric materials for heat to energy conversion; novel metals for hydrogen fueling stations; and oxides for CO2 conversion.

Prior to joining UofT Prof. Hattrick-Simpers was a staff scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD where he co-developed tools for discovering novel corrosion resistance of alloys, developed active learning approaches to guide thin film and additive manufacturing alloy studies, and developed tools and best practices to enable trust in AI within the materials science community. He has published over 80 papers and given more than 50 invited seminars and talks.  He was an associate editor of ACS Combinatorial Science from 2017 – 2020 and is part of the organizing committee for the International Workshop on Combinatorial Materials Science and Technology.

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Prof. Zheng-Hong Lu joins A3MD

A3MD welcomes Prof. Zheng-Hong Lu as a new academic co-Principal Investigator. 

Dr. Zheng-Hong Lu is a full professor and a Tier I Canada Research Chair in Organic Optoelectronics at the University of Toronto. He received a PhD degree in engineering physics in 1990 from Ecole Polytechnique of the University of Montreal, Canada. Prior to his current appointment, he was employed by the National Research Council (NRC) as an assistant and then an associate research officer. While at NRC he developed a number of materials and processes for microelectronics and optoelectronics, in particular, light-emitting silicon superlattices, dielectrics for silicon transistors, and surface passivation for solid-state lasers. In 1998, he moved to the University of Toronto to create an Organic Optoelectronics Research Group. His group’s research includes OLED materials and device engineering for flat-panel display and solid-state lighting applications.

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A3MD Partners With Microsoft

A3MD and Microsoft have partnered to advance research in AI for clean energy materials discovery. 

In 2020, Microsoft announced its commitment to be carbon negative by 2030, and to remove by 2050 all the carbon the company has emitted since its founding in 1975.

As a committed leader in low-carbon energy transitions, Microsoft is investing in renewable electricity, carbon removal, and research in new carbon management technology.

Microsoft and A3MD will work together to tackle grand challenges in global decarbonization through the development of new clean energy materials for carbon utilization.

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A3MD welcomes Dr. Brandon Sutherland as its Executive Director.

A3MD welcomes Dr. Brandon Sutherland as its Executive Director.

Brandon earned a BASc in Nanotechnology Engineering from University of Waterloo in 2012, and a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Sargent Group at University of Toronto in 2016.

Brandon’s research experience spans the discovery and development of new materials for optoelectronic devices, where he has authored 20 scientific publications. In 2017, he was awarded the Governor General Gold Medal in recognition of his research contributions.

In 2017, Brandon was one of the founding editors for Joule, a scale-spanning energy research journal—now one of the highest-cited research publications across all sciences. At Joule, Brandon served as chief evaluator for over 1200 technical, economic, and policy research reports; and published 42 editorials and research features.

Brandon will offer scientific leadership, manage A3MD resources, ensure the alliance meets its key deliverables, and advance our relationships with existing and new industrial partners.