Betar Gallant

Betar Gallant is an Associate Professor and the American Bureau of Shipping Career Development Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She leads the Energy and Gas Conversion Laboratory, focusing on advanced electrochemical systems for energy storage and carbon management with significant implications for sustainable energy solutions.

Education

• 2013: Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• 2010: S.M. in Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• 2008: S.B. in Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Research Interests

Professor Gallant's research spans two major domains: advanced battery technologies and electrochemical carbon management systems. Her work on batteries focuses on developing next-generation systems with higher energy density, including lithium and calcium metal anodes, fluorinated conversion reactions, and novel electrolyte designs. In the carbon management space, she pioneers approaches to integrate CO₂ capture with electrochemical conversion processes, creating pathways for greenhouse gas mitigation that could replace energy-intensive thermal regeneration methods.

Her interdisciplinary approach combines principles from chemistry, thermodynamics, and materials science to uncover new electrochemical reactions. Current research thrusts include development of Li and Ca anodes and their solid electrolyte interphases, design of new chemistries for high-energy Li primary batteries for medical applications, and creating advanced processes for CO₂ separation and conversion.

Scientific Awards

• 2024 Charles W. Tobias Young Investigator Award - The Electrochemical Society
• 2022 ECS Toyota Young Investigator Fellowship
• 2021 ECS Battery Division Early Career Award
• 2021 National Science Foundation CAREER Award
• 2020 Scialog Fellow, Negative Emissions Science
• 2019 Scialog Fellow, Advanced Energy Storage
• 2019 Ruth and Joel Spira Award for Distinguished Teaching, MIT
• 2019 Army Research Office Young Investigator
• 2016 MIT Bose Research Fellow

Advising, Grants, and Service

Professor Gallant serves on the MIT MechE Graduate Committee and acts as Faculty Ambassador to Graduate Students. Her research has been supported by prestigious grants including the NSF CAREER Award and Army Research Office Young Investigator Award. She teaches core mechanical engineering courses including Thermal Fluids Engineering I and II (2.005 and 2.006) and Fundamentals of Nanoengineering (2.37), demonstrating excellence in both research and education as evidenced by her multiple teaching awards.

Research Laboratory

Professor Gallant leads the Energy and Gas Conversion Laboratory (also known as the Gallant Energy and Carbon Conversion Lab) at MIT. The lab embodies an interdisciplinary approach rooted in electrochemical science, adapting foundational knowledge at the intersection of chemistry, thermodynamics, and materials to uncover new electrochemical reactions. The lab's work spans lithium and calcium metal anodes, electrolyte design, fluorinated conversion reactions, and electrochemical CO₂ management systems with potential applications in both energy storage and climate change mitigation.