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Tuesday, October 27, 2026
Cristina Amon
University Professor
Alumni Distinguished Professor
Dean Emerita
University of Toronto
Plenary Title: Hierarchical Electrode-to-System Battery Thermal Management and Modeling: Latest Developments and Future Directions
Abstract: The rapid growth of electric vehicles (EVs) and battery energy storage systems (BESS) is creating new challenges for the thermal management, safety, performance, and lifetime of increasingly large and complex lithium-ion battery systems. Addressing these challenges requires models and thermal management strategies that span multiple length scales and physical domains, from nanoscale transport in electrode materials to heat generation and degradation within cells, and to the thermal behavior of modules and packs.
This plenary lecture will present recent advances in hierarchical battery thermal management and modeling across these scales. Following an overview of battery heat generation, temperature-dependent performance and degradation, and battery thermal management systems (BTMS), we begin at the electrode level, where atomistic approaches, including density functional theory, molecular dynamics, and machine learning, provide insights into nanoscale thermal and electrochemical transport and enable exploration of novel two-dimensional materials and heterostructures for next-generation electrodes. At the cell level, we examine the thermal and electrochemical characterization of anisotropic thermophysical properties and spatially distributed heat generation, together with temperature-driven degradation and thermal runaway in large-format lithium-ion pouch cells increasingly used in EV and BESS applications. At the module and system levels, we will highlight the challenges of scaling high-fidelity physics-based models and emerging approaches that combine hierarchical cell-to-system thermal models, deep-learning surrogates, and design optimization.
The plenary lecture will conclude with a perspective on integrating these advances into battery digital twins that span scales, physics, and data, enabling faster design exploration, improved thermal management and safety, and more predictive approaches to battery system design and operation.
Biography: Cristina Amon is University Professor, Alumni Distinguished Professor and Dean Emerita of the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto, where she serves as Scientific Director of the Electrification Hub and Director of the ATOMS Laboratory. Prior to joining UofT in 2006, she was the Raymond J. Lane Distinguished Professor and Director of the Institute for Complex Engineered at Carnegie Mellon University. She has pioneered advances in computational fluid dynamics and multidisciplinary, multiscale hierarchical modeling, design, and optimization of thermo-fluid systems, with applications spanning electronics and electric-vehicle thermal management, renewable energy, and biomedical devices.
Professor Amon is an Officer of the Order of Canada, member of the National Academy of Engineering, and fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Canadian Academy of Engineering, Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and Spanish Royal Academy. Her honors include the ASME InterPACK Achievement Award (now the Bar-Cohen Memorial Medal), ASME Heat Transfer Memorial Award, ASME Honorary Member, Engineers Canada Gold Medal and Professional Engineers Ontario Gold Medal for engineering excellence, leadership, and public service.
She is the founding chair of the Global Engineering Deans Council and has served on several corporate and nonprofit boards. She earned her M.S. and Sc.D. from MIT and a Mechanical Engineering degree from Simon Bolivar University.
Tuesday, October 27, 2026
Samuel Graham
Dean of Engineering
University of Maryland
Plenary Title: AlN: The New Nitride Semiconductor on the Block
Abstract: Wide bandgap electronics are critical to the development of future power, RF, and optoelectronics and have become ubiquitous in our everyday lives. The development of these devices has moved its focus from wide bandgap materials (GaN at 3.4 eV) to ultrawide bandgap materials (3.4 eV to 4.5 eV) and extreme bandgap materials (above 4.5 eV). Interest in moving from wide bandgap to extreme bandgap devices is driven by semiconductor figures of merit that increase nonlinearly with bandgap. Today, high-aluminum-content AlGaN and AlN are beginning to show promise for optoelectronic, RF, and power electronics systems. Moreover, recent developments in n-type and p-type doping of AlN have opened new possibilities for creating p–n junctions and semiconductors with extreme bandgaps and inherently high thermal conductivity. However, challenges remain in developing extreme bandgap devices ranging from high-aluminum-content AlGaN to doped AlN systems.
In this talk, we will cover the development of AlGaN and AlN semiconductors and some of the challenges associated with these materials. In particular, we will address thermal issues and potential device-design solutions. The talk will cover characterization of the thermal properties of materials and interfaces, methods for doping AlN, and the effects of doping on device thermal performance. Several architectures being pursued to harness the promising characteristics of AlN-based electronics will be discussed, including substrates, active materials, and capping materials. Processing–property–performance relationships are critical to understanding these devices, and areas that require further attention from the community will be identified.
Biography: Dr. Samuel Graham is the Nariman Farvardin Professor and Dean of Engineering at the University of Maryland. Prior to joining the University of Maryland, he was a professor and chair of the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He holds a joint appointment with the National Laboratory of the Rockies and serves on the Emerging Technologies Technical Advisory Committee for the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Advisory Committee for Nuclear Security for the NNSA. He is an Honorary Member of ASME and a Fellow of AAAS and ASTFE. His research expertise includes the thermal characterization and reliability of wide bandgap semiconductor technologies and the packaging of organic and flexible electronics. He recently received the IEEE ITHERM Richard Chu Award for Excellence in Thermal and Thermo-mechanical Management of Electronics and the ASME Allan Kraus Medal for Thermal Management.
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Shintaro Itoh
Professor
Nagoya University
Plenary Title: Wetting Phenomena in Nanoscale Spaces
Abstract: Wetting and capillary-driven transport in confined spaces play essential roles in a wide range of engineering systems, from nanoimprint lithography and advanced manufacturing to micro/nanofluidic devices and thermal management technologies such as heat pipes. As characteristic dimensions decrease to the nanometer scale, however, liquid transport can no longer be understood simply as a scaled-down version of macroscopic wetting and capillary flow. Confinement enhances the relative importance of solid-liquid interactions and introduces additional phenomena such as changes in molecular mobility, gas entrapment, and capillary condensation. In this talk, nanoscale wetting will be discussed through real-time observations of liquid invasion into nanochannels with depths on the order of tens of nanometers. Experiments with photocurable liquids reveal highly nonuniform wetting accompanied by the formation of numerous nanoscale bubbles. More importantly, as the channel depth decreases, the observed wetting dynamics deviate significantly from predictions based on conventional capillary-flow models. These observations suggest that nanoscale wetting is governed by the coupled effects of capillary forces, interfacial interactions, confinement-induced changes in liquid dynamics, gas behavior, and condensation.
These findings will be discussed not only in the context of nanoimprint lithography, where rapid and defect-free filling of nanoscale cavities is critical, but also from a broader perspective of liquid transport in confined geometries. Understanding how wetting and capillary transport change under nanoscale confinement may provide a common physical framework for designing next-generation manufacturing processes, micro/nanofluidic systems, and thermal management devices in which capillary transport governs liquid supply and heat-transfer performance.
Biography: Shintaro Itoh received the Ph.D. degree in electromechanical engineering from Nagoya University in 2006. Presently he is Professor in the Department of Micro-Nano Mechanical Science and Engineering at Nagoya University.
His research areas include nano-metrology, nano-tribology, nano-rheology, and nano-fluidics. His research interests include various kinds of solid-liquid interfacial phenomena ranging from confined liquids between solid surfaces to molecularly thin liquid films on solid surfaces.
Thursday, October 29, 2026
Bahgat Sammakia
Distinguished SUNY Professor and Director
Binghamton University
Plenary Title: Thermal Management of Data Centers in the Age of AI
Abstract: The extraordinary growth of artificial intelligence is driving a fundamental transformation in data-center power and thermal management. AI training and inference systems increasingly rely on high-power GPUs and accelerators, high-bandwidth memory (HBM), chiplet-based architectures, and advanced heterogeneous packaging. Individual processors are approaching and exceeding the kilowatt power level, while AI rack power densities are progressing from tens of kilowatts toward 100–200 kW and far beyond. These trends are rapidly challenging the practical limits of conventional air cooling and making thermal management a primary constraint on system performance, reliability, energy efficiency, and data-center scalability.
This presentation examines the thermal-management technologies required to support this rapidly evolving AI infrastructure, with highlights of research at Binghamton University. Particular attention will be given to the transition from air cooling to single-phase direct liquid cooling, where cold plates bring the coolant close to high-power processors and other critical components. Direct liquid cooling can provide substantially greater heat-removal capability than air cooling while reducing fan power and enabling higher rack densities. However, increasing chip heat flux, localized hotspots, HBM integration, chiplets, and three-dimensional packaging are creating additional challenges at the package-to-coolant interface.
As heat fluxes and rack power densities continue to increase, two-phase liquid cooling becomes increasingly attractive. By utilizing the latent heat associated with phase change, two-phase systems can potentially remove very high heat fluxes while maintaining relatively uniform component temperatures and reducing coolant flow requirements. Technologies including two-phase cold plates, dielectric immersion cooling, and refrigerant-based approaches will be discussed, together with challenges involving flow stability, pressure control, critical heat flux, materials compatibility, reliability, and system integration.
The presentation will connect thermal challenges across the hierarchy from the chip and package to the server, rack, and data center, and will consider the growing interaction between thermal management, power delivery, advanced packaging, and facility infrastructure. Looking forward, thermal management will no longer simply respond to the power generated by computing hardware. Increasingly, the available cooling technology will help determine how much computing power can be packaged into a chip, server, rack, and ultimately an AI data center. Advanced single- and two-phase liquid cooling will therefore be key enabling technologies for the performance, density, energy efficiency, and sustainability of future AI computing systems.
Biography: Professor Bahgat G. Sammakia is a Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Binghamton University and a widely recognized leader in thermal management, electronics packaging, and heat transfer. He has built a distinguished career spanning academia and industry, including senior technical leadership roles at IBM and major academic leadership positions at Binghamton University, where he served as Vice President for Research from 2011 to 2025. He is also the founding director of S3IP, a New York State Center of Excellence, and ES2, an NSF IUCRC center. These roles reflect his long-standing commitment to advancing innovation in electronic systems, heterogeneous integration, and energy-efficient technologies.
Over the course of his career, Professor Sammakia has authored more than 350 peer-reviewed publications, earned more than 11,000 citations, and developed a substantial patent portfolio in advanced cooling, packaging, and thermal-management technologies. His work has had broad impact on next-generation electronic systems and data-center efficiency. His honors include election as a Fellow of ASME and IEEE, the ASME Heat Transfer Memorial Award, and Fellow status in the National Academy of Inventors.
Thursday, October 29, 2026
Dr. Imran Latif
Vice President, Technology & Ecosystem – AI Data Centers
Johnson Controls International
Plenary Title: Every Watt a Token: Agentic AI Cooling from Chip to Chiller
Abstract: AI data center capacity is set to triple by 2030, but grid power can't keep up. When the power budget is fixed, every megawatt the cooling plant saves can go to compute instead. This talk follows the heat from chip to chiller. It quantifies the power left unused in today's AI clusters, then presents a coupled simulator of 3,360 NVIDIA B200 GPUs, cold plates, a CDU and an air-cooled chiller. Eight zero-shot LLM agents controlled the chiller setpoint and pump speed, scored on tokens per joule. Every agent saved energy, with up to 11.5% higher reward and 10.3% lower PUE. But as control grew more complex, most agents overheated the chips, so efficiency metrics alone can't certify an AI controller.
Biography: Based in New York City, Imran Latif is the Vice President of Technology and Ecosystem for Data Centers at Johnson Controls International, where he leads multidisciplinary global teams driving cutting-edge technology integration and shapes strategic portfolios through M&A for JCI’s global data center business. He has structured and executed strategic acquisitions exceeding multiple billions in value, bringing deep expertise in technical due diligence, infrastructure integration, and post-merger value creation.
With over two decades of experience spanning the complete lifecycle of AI/HPC hyperscale data centers, Imran has led the design, build, and operational management of gigawatt-scale facilities for major hyperscalers, colocation providers, research institutions, and Fortune 100 enterprises worldwide. His technical leadership encompasses governance frameworks for AI deployments at unprecedented scale, extreme rack density optimization, comprehensive thermal management from direct-to-chip liquid cooling to full immersion systems, and GPU cluster architecture with high-bandwidth interconnects enabling seamless scaling across thousands of accelerators. He champions circular economy principles in data center design, bridging the critical gap between physical infrastructure and computational performance.
His research is featured in Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's 2024 and 2025 US Data Center Energy Usage Report, a Congressionally mandated study shaping national energy policy. He optimizes critical metrics including tokens-per-watt and Power Usage Effectiveness for large-scale LLM training and high-performance computing workloads.
Previously, as Chief Operations Officer for Data Center Infrastructure at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, Imran's leadership proved instrumental in supporting computational infrastructure for CERN's Large Hadron Collider experiments contributing to the Nobel Prize-winning Higgs boson discovery. He directed deployment of IBM's Blue Gene/Q supercomputer, ranked Top 5 globally on TOP500 and first on both the Graph500 and Green500 benchmarks. He also led infrastructure implementation for a 50-qubit superconducting quantum computer, managing extreme requirements including sub-millikelvin cooling and electromagnetic isolation for quantum coherence. During his tenure, he mentored graduate and post-graduate students on DOE-funded projects spanning AI, energy systems, and engineering disciplines.
Imran holds a Phd, in Artificial Intelligence and Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering, with research focused on optimizing infrastructure for AI workloads. He is a visiting fellow at University of East London, and a licensed Professional Engineer in New York and Texas. He is a frequent keynote speaker at Supercomputing (SC), Open Compute Project (OCP), and Data Centre Dynamics (DCD).
Debbie G. Senesky
Associate Professor
Aeronautics & Astronautics Department and Electrical Engineering Department
Stanford University
Co-Founder, Astral Materials
Chair, Community of Shared Research Platforms (C-ShaRP)
Senior Fellow, Precourt Institute for Energy
Plenary Title: Tiny-but-tough: Microelectronics for In-Situ Operation within Extreme Environments
Abstract: Wide bandgap semiconductor materials such as silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN), and diamond are well known for their inherent resilience to high-temperature and radiation-rich environments. This makes them attractive "in situ" electronic platforms for use in space exploration and other extreme-environment applications (e.g., nuclear reactors, data centers, downhole, hypersonic aircraft). Gallium nitride (GaN) electronics have operated at temperatures as high as 1000°C, making it a viable platform for robust space-grade ("tiny-but-tough") microelectronics and nano-satellites. Even with this major technological breakthrough, there are still challenges in making GaN in low-cost formats with low defect density for proliferation in "beyond silicon" applications. New communities are adopting this microelectronic platform for a multitude of emerging device and diagnostic applications including the following: sensing, energy harvesting, actuation, and communication. In this talk, we will review and discuss the benefits of GaN's two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) and SiC device architectures over silicon's p-n junction for a wide range of emerging applications (e.g., in-situ nuclear/fusion/fission energy diagnostics, temperature-tolerant Venus probes, and more!).
Biography: Debbie G. Senesky is an Associate Professor at Stanford University in the Aeronautics and Astronautics Department and the Electrical Engineering Department. She is the Principal Investigator of the EXtreme Environment Microsystems Laboratory (XLab). Her research interests include the advancement of microelectronics, sensors, and nanomaterials for extreme-environment applications (e.g., space exploration, nuclear energy, and geothermal energy). She received the B.S. degree (2001) in mechanical engineering from the University of Southern California. She received the M.S. degree (2004) and Ph.D. degree (2007) in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. In recognition of her research, she received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in 2025, Emerging Leader Abie Award from AnitaB.org in 2018, Early Faculty Career Award from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 2012, Gabilan Faculty Fellowship Award in 2012, and Sloan Ph.D. Fellowship from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in 2004. Prof. Senesky's career path and research have been featured by Scientific American, Seeker, People Behind the Science podcast, The Future of Everything radio show, Space.com, and NPR's Tell Me More program. More information about Prof. Senesky can be found here and on Instagram (@astrodebs).