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 chemistry (e.g. quantum chemistry, statistical mechanics) and data science (e.g. reaction networks, machine learning) to understand molecular 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’m currently a Postdoctoral Fellow working with Prof. Gabe dos Passos Gomes at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), and I’m an incoming Carnegie Bosch Institute Fellow, collaborating with Prof. Rachel Kurchin. My research at CMU 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. I was advised by Prof. Kristin Aslaug Persson, and I performed most of my work in collaboration with scholars within the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR), the Silicon Consortium Project, and the Disordered Rock Salt Consortium. During my time at UC Berkeley, 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 of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

More information can be found in my full CV.