Adam is a Breakthrough Energy Fellow who is driven to apply his fascination for materials chemistry toward solutions that can meaningfully combat environmental challenges. He has led numerous programs focused on DEI, STEM, and environmental service, including water purification and resource recovery projects on four different continents. Adam obtained his B.S. in Chemical Engineering with three minors from the Pennsylvania State University and his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, supported by NSF GRFP, AIChE, NAMS, AWWA, and Philomathia fellowships.

Ever is a Breakthrough Energy Fellow who is passionate about developing new solutions to combat climate change and environmental injustice. As an NSF graduate research fellow, he earned his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. In his previous research, Ever specialized in innovating new materials for molecular separations that offer significant enhancements in energy efficiency and performance. These new materials included plasticization-resistant membranes, porous inorganic materials, porous polymers, phase-change adsorbents, and metal–organic frameworks.

Maria earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2022 from the University of California, Berkeley, where she studied porous materials for chemical separations. Maria is also passionate about climate justice and policy solutions and was the VP of Finance for the UC Berkeley Science Policy Group during graduate school. In her free time, Maria sings with the NY Choral Society.

Ravi is an expert in polymer and membrane technologies with a Ph.D. and 18+ years of industrial experience in these areas. He has pioneered groundbreaking advancements in forward osmosis and reverse osmosis membranes, thin-film composites, block copolymer self-assembly, anti-fouling coatings, self-healing polymers, controlled release applications, and membrane distillation technologies. With broad hands-on experiences and unwavering dedication to polymer innovation, Ravi is a proven leader in the polymer sciences.

Alyssa is a process engineer at ChemFinity, leading different parts of the development and testing of ChemFinity’s highly selective separation prototypes. She was previously a semiconductor engineer at IBM and a chemical engineer at Amogy. As Amogy’s first employee, Alyssa wore many hats and contributed to several successful demonstrations of their technology, which utilizes ammonia as an energy source. She is highly interested in tackling environmental and climate concerns. Alyssa earned her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of South Carolina. 

Shrey joined ChemFinity at the start of the 2023 summer, initially as a Chemistry R&D Intern. He is working on synthesizing different polymer materials for use in highly selective and energy-efficient separations. Shrey aspires to help the world by using his chemistry and engineering skills to implement sustainability practices into industrial operations. Shrey obtained his M.S. degree in Chemical Engineering at Columbia University in 2023.

Shantal Risk is an accomplished strategic and detail-oriented administrative professional with experience providing leadership development, consultation, and direction for both grassroot and corporate organizations. She has significant experience in supporting organizational transformation at the structural level, particularly in operations, HR, marketing, and project coordination. She most recently honed these skills as the Sales and Recruiting Coordinator for Beacon Hill Staffing Group. Shantal holds a B.S. degree in Communications and Rhetorical Studies with minors in both Business Marketing and Spanish from Syracuse University.

Max has been a ChemFinity intern since the start of 2023 summer. He is conducting research and analysis on market and funding opportunities. Max is interested in business/startup development, particularly in the pursuit of impactful solutions toward the climate crisis. Max is currently a junior at CUNY Baruch College majoring in Operation Management & Data Analytics and minoring in Psychology.

Ellie is a ChemFinity intern through Spring 2024. She works on ChemFinity’s electrochemical membrane system, extracting critical metals while purifying water. Ellie is passionate about sustainability and, with a biology background, believes that combining chemistry with her past experiences can help ChemFinity preserve natural resources through waste valorization. Ellie graduated with her M.S degree in Biopharmaceuticals in 2023 and a B.S in Biotechnology from TUS, Ireland.

Hiran Vedam is a Breakthrough Energy Business Fellow working closely with ChemFinity. Hiran is an entrepreneurial leader passionate about developing and creating value from advanced technologies. She has over two decades of experience in working at the intersection of technology, business, and intellectual property, helping startups in the energy, environment, water, chemical, construction, and electronics industries. Hiran has a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University, MBA from INSEAD, M.S. from Washington University, and a B.Tech from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.

Edouard Bulteau is a Breakthrough Energy Business Fellow working with ChemFinity. Edouard has more than a decade of experience working in clean technologies and clean energy startups. Before joining Breakthrough Energy, he worked as a corporate venture Investment Director for TotalEnergies, one of the largest multi-energy companies in the world. Edouard earned his M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and his M.S. with a specialization in Applied Mathematics to Ecology and Economics from the Ecole Polytechnique in France.