Research for a Better World
If I can peer pressure you into doing one thing in your life, it is to do less, buy less, use less, fly less.
Overconsumption is plaguing developed countries. Sustainable technology exists to solve most of our problems, but policies refuse to make implementing them mandatory. In my part to help drive the capitalistic machine towards what the world needs, I want to spend my career developing recycling technology and replacing products with greener alternatives.
Plastics
The goal is to stop using petroleum from out of the ground to make plastic. There is enough plastic on earth for everything we could need, and we need to be able to use plastic waste as feedstocks for new goods. Current recycling methods degrade materials which means we can't use recycled plastics for all applications.
Batteries
Batteries are a necessary part of an electrified future where energy sources are all renewable and electricity is stored and used off of renewable energy alone. This goal increases the amount of time that batteries would need to last to many many decades, which means they need to withstand orders of magnitude more cycles without failure.
AI for Chemistry
Foundation models have completely changed the way we interact with our data. Chemistry has long been based on trial and error, and we have the opportunity to capture decades of empirical discoveries to accelerate and create new, greener materials. This involves creating new embedding spaces, fine-tuning, developing algorithms, and a lot of coding.
Things I've gotten to do in the name of science
Synthesize rust after running a 72 hour protocol
Also one time I made 300 solar cells to see if carbon nanotubes could be used as an energy collector
Present my ideas at adidas headquarters in Germany
Generate 8 months worth of data incorrectly
Have the complete moral high ground in climate action conversations
Education
Undergraduate
Rice University '18
B.S.E. in Materials Science and B.A. in German Studies
D1 Track and Field, Outstanding Student from the graduating class
Highlights: Welding, growing 2D materials, yelling at sports games
Graduate
Stanford University '21 '23
PhD in Materials Science, MS in Materials Science under Prof. Evan Reed
Dissertation: "Quantum Chemical Validation of Machine learning for solid-state batteries and eco-friendly polymers"
Fellowships: National Science Foundation GRFP, Knight-Hennessy Scholars
Skills
Computational Techniques: Machine Learning, Molecular Dynamics, Monte Carlo, Umbrella Sampling, Nudged Elastic Band, Database Scraping, Software-terminal Interface, Molecular/Materials Optimization, Density Functional Theory, AI, fine-tuning, Data engineering
Programs/Software: ReaxFF, SCM-AMS, Scikit-Learn, PyTorch, Python, Javascript, Typescript, Reactjs, RDKit, AutoCAD, Adobe A/V Editing, Latex
Other: Event Planning, Public Speaking, German Language (C1)
Academic Publications - google scholar
Reactive Vapor-Phase Inhibitors for Area-Selective Depositions at Tunable Critical Dimensions
LA Ogunfowora, I Singh, N Arellano, TG Pattison, T Magbitang, K Nguyen, ...
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 16 (4), 5268-5277
Experimental Discovery of a Fast and Stable Lithium Thioborate Solid Electrolyte, Li6+2x[B10S18]Sx (x ≈ 1)
Y Ma, J Wan, X Xu, AD Sendek, SE Holmes, B Ransom, Z Jiang, P Zhang, ...
ACS Energy Letters 8, 2762-2771
Electrolyte Coatings for High Adhesion Interfaces in Solid-state Batteries from First Principles
B Ransom, A Ramdas, E Lomeli, J Fidawi, A Sendek, T Devereaux, ...
arXiv preprint arXiv:2303.16350
Temperature extrapolation of molecular dynamics simulations of complex chemistry to microsecond timescales using kinetic models: Applications to hydrocarbon pyrolysis
V Dufour-Décieux, B Ransom, AD Sendek, R Freitas, J Blanchet, EJ Reed
Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation 18 (12), 7496-7509
Machine learning modeling for accelerated battery materials design in the small data regime
AD Sendek, B Ransom, ED Cubuk, LA Pellouchoud, J Nanda, EJ Reed
Advanced Energy Materials 12 (31), 2200553
Machine‐Learning and Data‐Intensive Methods for Accelerating the Development of Rechargeable Battery Chemistries: A Review
AD Sendek, ED Cubuk, B Ransom, J Nanda, EJ Reed
Transition Metal Oxides for Electrochemical Energy Storage, 393-409
Kinetics of Diamond Formation from Temperature Extrapolatable Kinetics Model built using Molecular Dynamics Simulations
V Dufour Decieux, E Reed, B Ransom, J Blanchet
APS March Meeting Abstracts 2022, T24. 008
Two low-expansion Li-ion cathode materials with promising multi-property performance
B Ransom, N Zhao, AD Sendek, ED Cubuk, W Chueh, EJ Reed
MRS Bulletin, 1-14
Combining Superionic Conduction and Favorable Decomposition Products in the Crystalline Lithium–Boron–Sulfur System: A New Mechanism for Stabilizing Solid Li-Ion Electrolytes
AD Sendek, ER Antoniuk, ED Cubuk, B Ransom, BE Francisco, ...
ACS applied materials & interfaces 12 (34), 37957-37966