Evan Walter Clark Spotte-Smith

I am a computational and data chemist with a background in materials science, electrochemistry, and energy storage. In my research, I apply computational simulations (e.g. quantum chemistry, statistical mechanics) and data science (e.g. reaction networks, machine learning) to understand reactivity in complex environments. Much of my recent work has focused on applications in electrolyte decomposition in metal-ion (especially Li-ion and Mg-ion) batteries, but I’m broadly interested in electrochemistry, catalysis, and sustainability.

I am an incoming Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), planning to start in Fall 2025. As a faculty member, I’ll be founding the Community of Researchers Assessing Chemical Transformations and Exploring Reactivity (CoReACTER). I’m currently a Carnegie Bosch Institute Fellow, collaborating with Prof. Rachel Kurchin in the Materials Science and Engineering department at CMU, and I previously completed a postdoctoral fellowship working with Prof. Gabe dos Passos Gomes, also at CMU. My research focuses on combining machine learning with simulations to optimize (electro)chemical reactions, with applications in the areas of catalysis and sustainability. I’m also thinking about developing ethical standards and policy to guide applications of machine learning, particularly in the chemical sciences.

I obtained my PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, where I was advised by Prof. Kristin Aslaug Persson. During my PhD studies, I held the Philomathia Graduate Student Fellowship through the Kavli Energy Nanoscience Institute.

Prior to attending UC Berkeley, I received my Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering from Columbia University in 2019. During my undergraduate education, I conducted research on nanoparticle self-assembly dynamics with Irving P. Herman and explored organic reactions for thermochemical energy storage applications with Anubhav Jain and Ravi Prasher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

More information can be found in my full CV.