The Energy Storage Research Alliance (ESRA) within the United States Department of Energy has recently selected Xavier University of Louisiana as one of 15 institutions to participate in a collaborative clean energy research coalition. Alongside three national laboratories and 11 other universities, Xavier is the only HBCU involved with the project.
Over the next five years, the Department of Energy will provide ESRA with $62.5 million to fund research aimed at pushing the boundaries of energy storage science to drive technological innovation and strengthen U.S. economic competitiveness. The funding will also support training initiatives for students interested in pursuing battery manufacturing and clean energy careers in industry, academia, and government settings.
Lamartine Meda will serve as Xavier’s primary investigator for the new project, working closely with the initiative’s leading organization, the Argonne National Laboratory.
“This partnership means a lot for Xavier as our students will have opportunities to perform research at our partner institutions in energy storage and contribute to the goal of net-zero carbon emissions, becoming future leaders of this field,” said Dr. Meda.
Dr. Meda has been with the Xavier’s faculty since 2006, and currently serves as a full professor of chemistry and material science and director of the Materials and Interfaces Center for High Energy Storage and Sensing. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Salem State University in Massachusetts and a Ph.D. in inorganic and materials chemistry from Northeastern University in Boston.
