Mike Baird

Bio: Mike Baird obtained a B.S. in chemistry from University of California, Riverside. He then spent two years in industry at Illumina before resuming his studies at University of California, Berkeley, completing a Ph.D. in chemistry. Mike conducted his doctoral research in the laboratory of Brett Helms at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where he synthesized microporous polymer membranes and sorbents for lithium extraction from natural feedstocks which are highly dilute in the target species. He additionally investigated electrolytes for next-generation battery chemistries (i.e., lithium metal anode) with suitable transport and reactivity characteristics for aggressive battery operation.

Postdoctoral research project: Upcycling battery waste with electrolytic membrane reactors.  The advent of lithium batteries is ushering in electrified transportation, a key component of the renewable energy transition. However, the benefits of a global electric vehicle rollout must be weighed against the challenges of obtaining battery precursors, which intensify geopolitical, humanitarian, and environmental crises. Spent batteries are a potential feedstock to alleviate supply chain pressures, but conventional methods for refining metals from battery waste are energy- and reagent-intensive. Electrolytic membrane reactors represent a scalable route for precision metal refining from battery waste with low energy input, provided the internal membranes can effectively distinguish and separate dissolved metal ions. Mike’s research investigates polymer membrane chemistries featuring cation-coordinating moieties that serve as a handle to tune selective transport of metal ions based on their electronic structure.

Research focus:  Energy Conversion & Storage 

Advisors:  Will Tarpeh - Chemical Engineering  |  Yan Xia - Chemistry