Eshaan Patheria, a student of chemistry at Caltech, is among 30 emerging scientists globally recognized with the inaugural Inflection Award, an accolade that honors rising researchers addressing solutions for climate change. Patheria was acknowledged for his contributions in the laboratory of chemistry professor Kimberly See, where he endeavors to enhance the efficacy of cathodes in lithium-ion batteries, making them more environmentally friendly by utilizing materials that are plentiful and easily accessible.
The Inflection Awards, arranged by Marble, a climate-tech venture studio in Europe, with assistance from Breakthrough Energy Fellows and the Quadrature Climate Foundation, aim to “identify the brightest young scientists of the future and connect them with impactful opportunities to influence climate change,” as stated on the award’s official website.
Patheria and his fellow awardees received their accolades during a two-day event held in Paris, France, on March 10 and 11, where they engaged in intensive discussions with notable leaders in climate science, investment, and policy.
“Being awarded this honor is a tremendous privilege,” Patheria remarks. “My aspiration is for the technology we’re creating to expedite the global transition to renewable energy and significantly enhance energy access, particularly in underserved communities worldwide.”
Earning his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in 2018, Patheria is passionate about advancing the design and scalability of batteries. He chose to postpone his admission to Caltech for a year to spearhead a project that ultimately established the first solar microgrid in India utilizing lithium-ion technology for energy storage.
This year-long endeavor, a partnership between an NGO known as Gram Vikas and the Odisha state government in India, proved to be successful. Patheria makes annual visits to inspect the microgrid and reconnect with the residents of Maligaon, a community in northeastern India where the project took place. “It’s a location that holds great significance for me,” Patheria reflects. A local farmer in Maligaon has started using the area’s first electric pump to cultivate crops on previously untapped land. Another family has opened a store featuring the village’s first refrigerator. Additionally, another family has begun manufacturing slippers using mechanized equipment.
“This project represented a pivotal turning point for me, providing firsthand insight into what a lack of energy access truly entails, and how obtaining access fosters new opportunities over time,” states Patheria, who will be defending his dissertation next month.
Patheria spent much of his early life in Mumbai, India. In his teenage years, he volunteered at a teaching program in a government-run high school, assisting fellow students in a literacy initiative. He formed close relationships with those students, leading to invitations to their homes and into their lives. He notes that even within a major city like Mumbai, many individuals reside without sufficient energy to power essential household devices.
One of the primary challenges hindering the scaling of lithium-ion batteries for global energy systems is their dependency on costly, limited-supply cathode materials like cobalt and nickel. At Caltech, Patheria has dedicated the past six years to creating cathodes composed of aluminum, iron, and sulfur—elements produced at over 10 million tons annually, worldwide, at low cost and with exceptionally high battery-grade purity.
Together with his colleagues, he has developed a series of LixAlyFezS2 cathodes that outperform leading materials in terms of energy density—specifically, the energy stored per kilogram of cathode material. His research has concentrated on comprehending the fundamental processes enabling such high energy storage capacities. Concurrently, the team has applied for a patent, and Patheria is focusing on scaling this technology, which he will pursue full-time following his dissertation defense.
To Patheria, winning the Inflection Award serves as a reminder of his privilege in working on this technological advancement. “In a sense, it feels premature for this level of acknowledgment. Our technology has yet to yield a significant societal impact,” Patheria expresses. “I am profoundly thankful to the Inflection team for this platform, and to my PhD advisor, Kim, for her steadfast support and years of dedicated mentorship. My commitment to them is to pay it forward—leveraging this award to its maximum potential in addressing the challenging issues that I and the other recipients are confronting in sustainability and decarbonization.”
Patheria relished interacting with the other Inflection Award recipients and participating in the focused sessions in Paris. There, he gained insights into the business aspects of climate solutions, including what it takes to scale and implement technologies stemming from fundamental discoveries and how to adopt a mindset similar to that of a climate technology venture capitalist. “Just as novel scientific breakthroughs require extensive further development to benefit society, so too do scientists like myself who strive to translate that potential into tangible world impact,” Patheria adds. “I’m immensely appreciative of the knowledge I gained in Paris, from experts who’ve walked this path before, and from colleagues who share my mission of combating climate change.”