General Conference Chairs
Ben Xu, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Mississippi State University
Dr. Ben Xu is currently Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Mississippi State University (MSU). His research interests focus on multiphase flow and heat transfer in advanced energy systems, high temperature solar thermal storage, additive manufacturing of Nickel-based super alloys, and laser-assisted 3D bioprinting. Dr. Xu has been PI, Co-PI and senior personnel on multiple funded projects from the US Department of Energy (DOE), US Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and National Science Foundation (NSF). Dr. Xu is the author/co-author of more than 70 peer-reviewed journal and conference publications in the field of renewable energy systems and advanced manufacturing. Dr. Xu was the recipient of DoD MEEP faculty fellow in summer 2020. Currently, Dr. Xu is serving as the guest editor of Journal of Thermal Science and ASME Journal of Energy Resources Technology.
Luke J. Venstrom, Ph.D.
Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering
Paul H. Brandt Professor of Engineering
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Valparaiso University
Dr. Luke Venstrom is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and the Paul H. Brandt Professor of Engineering at Valparaiso University where he co-directs the James S. Markiwiecz Solar Energy Research Facility, home to the only solar furnace at a primarily undergraduate engineering college. He is a graduate of Valparaiso University (B.S.M.E.) and the University of Minnesota—Twin Cities (M.S.M.E., Ph.D.). His research broadly encompasses the thermal fluid sciences, with a focus on renewable energy systems and, in particular, high-temperature solar thermal and electrothermal chemistry. He was the 2019-2020 Valparaiso University Research Professor and the 2021 recipient of the Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Work for his integration of undergraduate students into cutting-edge, high-temperature concentrated solar energy research.
Technical Program Chairs
Pei-Dong, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
George Mason University
Pei-Dong, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
George Mason University
Pei Dong is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at George Mason University. She obtained her B.S. in Microelectronics from Nankai University and her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Rice University. She then did her postdoctoral research in the Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering at Rice University before joining George Mason University. She was the recipient of the Franz and Frances Brotzen Fellowship Award and the Best Thesis Award. Her current research interests include advanced materials design, in-situ characterization and their applications in energy, water, and biomedical areas.
Rohini Bala Chandran, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
University of Michigan
Dr. Rohini Bala Chandran is an Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan since January 2018. Previously, she was a postdoctoral research fellow at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and obtained an M.S. (2010) and Ph.D. (2015) from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, in Mechanical Engineering. At Michigan, Prof. Bala Chandran leads the Transport and Reaction Engineering for Sustainable Energy Lab (TREE Lab) to pursue multidisciplinary research in the areas of thermal, fluids and chemical sciences. Dr. Bala Chandran is a recipient of the Bergles-Rohsenow Young Investigator Award in Heat Transfer (2023), NSF-CAREER award (2022), Doctoral New Investigator award from the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund (2021), and one of 100 selected attendees at the US Frontiers of Engineering meeting organized by the National Academy of Engineering (2020).
Technical Program Co-Chairs
Like Li, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Mississippi State University
Dr. Like Li is an Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Mississippi State University. He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida in 2013. He leads the Thermal Energy Storage and Decarbonization (TESD) Lab focusing on advanced energy storage technologies research, development and demonstration (R&DD) to contribute to the transition to a clean and decarbonized energy future. His group has received funding from federal agencies and industries including the NSF, DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office, NASA, Army Research Laboratory, and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). The current research in his group focuses on fundamental understanding of gas-solid reactions and thermal/chemical transport in complex materials and reactors, characterization of particle flow properties at high temperature, and thermochemical reactors design, development, and demonstration for solar and other renewable energy storage and utilization.
Hailei Wang, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Utah State University
Dr. Hailei Wang is an Assistant Professor in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at Utah State University and the Director of the Energy Technology Research & Innovation (eTRI) Lab. He has broad research expertise in heat transfer and advanced energy system modeling. His work has been funded by various agencies including the NRC, DOD, and various DOE offices such as Office of Nuclear Energy, Solar Energy Technology Office, ARPA-E, Building Technology Office and Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Program. His energy system research and thermal modeling work had also been supported by various corporations including Cummins, Medtronic, Thermo Fisher and NuScale Power. He has published over 60 journal and conference papers, and holds three granted patents and multiple patent applications.