New Research Institute Tackles Energy Challenges

An $11.5 million sponsorship has launched the Tufts Epsilon Materials Institute, a new interdisciplinary initiative at Tufts focused on materials science and engineering. The institute is a collaboration between manufacturer Epsilon Group and the university that will advance innovations addressing global challenges in energy and sustainability. Drawing on the strengths of the university, the institute will work with departments, interdisciplinary centers, and other institutes across Tufts, including the Tufts Institute for Artificial Intelligence.

The new institute reflects the vision of Vikram Handa, E01, managing director at Epsilon Group. Epsilon Group is a leading industrial conglomerate driving innovation in carbon black and in sustainable, high-performance advanced battery materials that power electric vehicles and energy storage systems.

“The establishment of the Tufts Epsilon Materials Institute is a proud moment for me as an alumnus and a significant step toward our mission to drive sustainable innovation,” said Handa, who is a member of the School of Engineering’s Board of Advisors.

“This collaboration strengthens our commitment to R&D in high-performance battery materials, supporting the growing demand for sustainable energy solutions in the U.S.,” Handa added. “Our investments in the U.S. will build a robust supply chain for energy transition by innovating in advanced materials and enhancing material circularity. We believe this institute will foster the collaboration needed between academia and industry to address the global energy challenges we face.”

Creating Effective Solutions

Epsilon Group’s focus on sustainability aligns with the university’s commit­ment to clean energy solutions, said Tufts University President Sunil Kumar. 

“Creating impactful solutions for today’s energy challenges requires a purposeful, collective vision and dedi­cated researchers to realize that vision,” he said. “The institute will help us achieve those goals and chart a course for future growth and impact. Together, we will translate academic research into immediate, tangible, commercial applications that will power new direc­tions in the energy industry.” 

The sponsorship funds three new faculty positions at the School of Engineering and establishes seed fund­ing to support future collaborations that focus on developing cleaner, safer, and more sustainable energy solutions. 

“Investments in faculty are crit­ical for our research capacity,” said Kyongbum Lee, School of Engineering dean and Karol Family Professor. “As we elevate and leverage our expertise in materials science and engineering, the institute will become a hub of innovative research, attract world-class faculty, students, and postdocs, and enable discoveries that will directly address pressing challenges in moving toward socially responsible, sustain­able economies.” 

Potential research areas include the development of renewable material-based batteries. 

Matthew Panzer, professor of chemical and biological engineering and dean of research for the School of Engineering, looks forward to seeing the institute advance the field of materi­als science and support the global shift toward electrification. 

The next generation of electrochem­ical devices, he said, must move society away from a disposable mindset. Materials such as lithium used in elec­tric vehicle batteries, for example, are finite resources that must be recovered and reused responsibly, he said.

One of the technologies that could displace some of the lithium is sodium, a material with many similar properties that is far more abundant and cheaper than lithium.

“We will continue to develop additional battery chemistries,” Panzer said. “Sodium ion is one—there will probably be others, too.” Tufts is well positioned to develop pragmatic solutions that benefit the wider world, he said.

“Students come out of our programs eager to translate fresh ideas into reality,” he said. “That’s one of the things I love best about Tufts and why I’ve been here for 15 years: The quality of the students we work with is exceptional.”

Breakthrough Technologies

Handa’s enthusiasm for Tufts is grounded in his “very fulfilling” undergraduate experience as a computer engineering student. While far from his family in India, he found at Tufts a close and supportive community.

“I have fond memories of being a freshman at South Hall [now Harleston Hall] and making connections during international orientation, some of whom became friends for life,” he said.

He also recalled interactions with Tufts professors that were “very engaging. I owe them a debt of gratitude for helping me build my foundation for the years ahead.” The seed of an idea for industry-academia collaboration was planted in February 2020 when Handa attended an event at Tufts.

Since then, in conversations with faculty, he realized how Tufts’ approach on materials could help achieve clean energy goals. “It became clear that the innovative research going on at the School of Engineering would be a great foundation for the institute to develop breakthrough technologies for the future.”

The Clean Energy Transition

Handa’s career has driven innovations in the carbon black and battery materials industry. Carbon black plays an instrumental role in elevating the performance of lithium-ion batteries.

In 2010, Handa founded the industrial conglomerate Epsilon Group. Its subsidiaries include Epsilon Carbon and Epsilon Advanced Materials, which he founded in 2018 to meet the growing need for more sustainable approaches to the production of battery anode and cathode materials.

Improving clean energy storage and delivery will be among the top priorities of the Tufts Epsilon Materials Institute, Handa said.

“The collaboration between Epsilon and Tufts will have a profound and positive impact on humanity and the health of the planet,” he said. “Tufts is already a global leader in developing technologies and materials solutions that touch our everyday lives, and I am confident that the Tufts Epsilon Materials Institute will work to further develop materials that will support the energy transition and give future generations a better, cleaner world.”