Dr. Fernandez is a challenge-driven Chief Materials Scientist and Team Lead at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) with twenty-five years of experience in industrial and governmental R&D. For the past twelve years Dr. Fernandez directed, as Project Manager and Principal Investigator, several multi-organization (industry, academy, national labs) projects for a total business volume of $33.8 millions and supporting forty-eight staff members. Since 2020 he leads a team of eighteen staff members as a line manager.Fernandez’s research focuses on engineering, production, technoeconomic analysis, and large-scale evaluation of smart materials towards the sustainable decarbonization of energy- and carbon-intensive materials, predominantly, the cement and concrete industry. Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Machine Learning support R&D from concept to demonstration.Fernandez’s R&D focus and areas of interest include sustainable building infrastructure, carbon capture, storage, and utilization, hydropower generation, enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), unconventional oil/gas recovery, and nuclear energy with over 70 publications in peer review journals and ten patent applications (six awarded). He previously worked as a researcher and consultant for the industry sector in the Center of Excellence for Products and Processes of Cordoba, Argentina. In his role, Fernandez integrated a Analytical Chemistry team performing spectroscopy (FTIR, AA, ICP-MS, ICP-OES), HPLC and GC-MS on water chemistry, biological, pharmaceutical, and food. He has experience in NMR, XRD, absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy, X-ray microtomography, as well as optical and electron microscopy (SEM and TEM). Current R&D programs(1) Self-healing, nanoreinforced, and carbon-negative polymer composites, polymer-modified cement, and concrete materials for sustainable building and transportation infrastructure; (2) Development, manipulation, and deployment of stimuli-responsive fluids (StimuFracTM), proppants (StimuPropTM) nano- and micrometer-size materials for geothermal stimulation, drilling, and enhanced oil recovery. (3) Design of nanomaterials and nanoporous materials, and their membranes and films for sensing, HVAC including molecular pumps, and solar cell applications.Fernandez currently directs two multi-institution field projects with a business volume of $8.2 millions. Fernandez’s research has been featured in twelve journal covers, and in over thirty press releases including Energy.Gov, C&E News, Chemistry World, Scientific American, and NBC Right Now.