Congratulations to William Korbitz on Being Selected as a MRSEC Forward Fellow
Posted on May 30, 2025
We are delighted to announce that William Korbitz, a PhD student in the LESS Lab, has been selected as a Forward Fellow by the Wisconsin Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC). The Forward Fellows program is a funded transition initiative aimed at broadening participation in science and engineering. It offers incoming graduate students the opportunity to spend a month at UW–Madison prior to the official start of their programs, conducting research, acclimating to campus life, and building community with peers from diverse STEM disciplines.
Will is also a past recipient of UW-Madison’s Sophomore Research Fellowship and the Hilldale Undergraduate/Faculty Research Fellowship.
Congratulations, Will!
Congratulations to Nathan Novak for Winning ECS 2025 Student Travel Grant
Posted on May 25, 2025
We are excited to share that Nathan Novak, a sophomore in Mechanical Engineering at UW–Madison and a member of the LESS Lab, has been awarded a Student Travel Grant from the Electrochemical Society (ECS), supported by the Office of Naval Research (ONR). Nathan presented his research, “Thermal Effects on Dendrite Suppression in All-Solid-State Batteries,” at the ECS Meeting held May 18–22, 2025, in Montréal, Canada. Beyond his scientific achievements, Nathan is also a talented performer in the UW Marching Band Drumline.
Congratulations, Nathan!
Mechanistic understanding could enable better fast-charging batteries
Posted on Mar 24, 2025
Fast-charging lithium-ion batteries are ubiquitous, powering everything from cellphones and laptops to electric vehicles. They’re also notorious for overheating or catching fire. Now, with a groundbreaking computational model, a University of Wisconsin-Madison mechanical engineer has gained new understanding of a phenomenon that causes lithium-ion batteries to fail.
Developed by Weiyu Li, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at UW-Madison, the model explains lithium plating, in which fast charging triggers metallic lithium to build up on the surface of a battery’s anode...
Congratulation to Prof. Weiyu Li on being awarded the Alfred Fritz Assistant Professorship!
Posted on Oct 14, 2024
Congratulations to the Mechanical Engineering faculty honored with new professorships at our 2024 investiture ceremony this fall.
Grainger Dean of the College of Engineering Ian Robertson and John Bollinger Chair of Mechanical Engineering & Bernard A. and Frances M. Weideman Professor Darryl Thelen welcomed the ten Mechanical Engineering faculty honorees, and colleagues, staff, friends, and family to the ceremony and reception in recognition of their scholarly and educational achievements...
Congratulations to Our Lab Intern Karen Li for Winning AGU 2024 Student Travel Grant
Posted on Oct 2, 2024
We are thrilled to announce that Karen Li, an intern at the LESS Lab, has been awarded the AGU 2024 Student Travel Grant. Karen will be presenting her research at the AGU Fall Meeting in Washington, DC in December. Karen focuses on optimal irrigation scheduling to regulate microbial activity for increasing crop yield. Outside of her academic achievements, Karen is also a competitive swimmer and a performance-level Guzheng player. Congratulations, Karen!
Focus on new faculty: Weiyu Li harnesses computational modeling to enhance energy sustainability.
Posted on Aug 14, 2024
To enable electric vehicles with greater range and electrified aviation, we need batteries with increased energy density that are safer and can last longer.
Weiyu Li is leveraging her expertise in theoretical and computational modeling of electrochemical transport in energy systems to address this challenge...
New Mechanical Engineering Faculty: Weiyu Li.
Posted on Jul 9, 2024
Dr. Weiyu Li will join the Department of Mechanical Engineering as an Alfred Fritz Assistant Professor in Fall 2024.
Li’s expertise lies in theoretical and computational modeling of transport in energy systems. Leading the Li’s Energy and Sustainability Solutions (LESS) lab, she aims to advance sustainability across energy and related fields, striving to achieve more with LESS...