Matthew Lu Email & Phone Number

Austin, Texas, US

Austin, Texas, US

• Investigate and identify root causes of technical issues with high voltage systems (electric vehicles, energy storage systems, robotics), their sub-components, and firmware
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to quickly understand root causes of failures, inform mitigation strategies, and feedback understandings into new designs
• Recreate abusive conditions and failure modes to confirm theories about high voltage system properties

Menlo Park, CA, US

• Collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams to conduct failure analyses and qualifications of consumer electronics with a focus on lithium-ion batteries using CT, OM, SEM, EDS, cycling studies, and teardowns to identify.
• Design and carryout cell abuse and reliability testing (electrical, thermal, mechanical) for cylindrical, pouch, prismatic, button, and solid-state electrolyte cells for products such as e-bikes, phones, laptops.
• Analyze large customer datasets (e.g. 165,000+ cases) to identify field trends and to predict failure rates based on battery, firmware, and sales data using statistical methods

Evanston, IL, US

• Advisor: Professor Scott A. Barnett
• Developed solid oxide fuel cell and electrolysis cell materials with an order of magnitude improvement at low and intermediate temperatures (450 to 750 °C) compared to the state-of-the-art oxygen electrode materials
• Clarified a contradiction in literature about accelerated degradation testing by completing and analyzing an encyclopedic study to identify and mitigate degradation mechanisms using EIS, EDS, SEM, TEM, S/TEM, FIB-SEM.
• Developed a water-etching method to reversibly mitigate degradation via cation segregation in perovskite oxygen electrodes
• Mentored 2 undergraduates and a high school student for their research projects on nano-infiltrated composite oxygen electrodes and developing a novel solid oxide fuel cell anode material

Evanston, IL, US

• MAT_SCI 382 Electrochemical Devices (Spring 2018)MAT_SCI 382 Electrochemical Devices (Spring 2017)MAT_SCI 340 Ceramic Processing (Winter 2017)
• Designed and instructed labs to model, fabricate, and characterize solid oxide fuel cells and lithium batteries using COMSOL multiphysics software, ceramic processing techniques, and various electrochemical testing.
• Managed 8 to 20 students per class with weekly homeworks, quizzes, and labs (20 hours per week)

Evanston, IL, US

• Coordinated professional, social, volunteer, and outreach events for over 250 students, faculty, and staff
• Organized the 1st annual MSSA 5K Run with over 120 participants and raised $500 for the Junior Science Club and the Boys and Girls Club of Chicago

Ciudad Autónoma De Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, AR

• Centro Atómico Bariloche, Instituto Balseiro, Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica, Universidad Nacional de CuyoAdvisor: Professor Liliana V. Mogni
• Investigated nanoparticle exsolution and thermal stability domains of fuel electrode materials in oxidizing and reducing atmospheres using TGA and XRD

New Brunswick, NJ, US

• Advisor: Professor Glenn G. Amatucci
• Developed and patented a highly reversible lithium battery electrode with high C-rate (20C) capability using selective ionic doping of Ta into β-NbPO5 and a voltage window method to achieve 93% capacity retention over.
• Characterized half cells via galvanostatic charge-discharge cycling and corroborated these results with PITT and ex-situ XRD to understand the electrochemical processes

New Brunswick, NJ, US

• Advisors: Professor Glenn G. Amatucci and Dr. Nathalie Pereira
• Developed high voltage Li1+yMn1.5Ni0.5O4-xFx electrodes for elevated temperature operation by mitigating cell degradation from SEI and CEI formation, Mn dissolution, and parasitic Li reactions
• Characterized intercalation and conversion cathodes and anodes and liquid electrolytes for lithium batteries using XRD, PITT, EIS, BET, and KF analysis

• Taught beginner to advanced level techniques to swimmers aged 4 to 18
• Coordinated meets and coached daily practices for over 100 swimmers to achieve an undefeated season and win the league championship
• Obtained CPR and AED certifications

Doctor Of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Materials Science And Engineering

Management For Scientists And Engineers Certificate

Master Of Science (M.S.), Materials Science And Engineering

Bachelor Of Science (B.S.), Materials Science And Engineering