Advances in Battery Research 2026

Edmund has 10+ years of experience in the industry-facing applications of physical modelling. Following his PhD in fundamental electrochemistry at the University of Oxford, he worked as a technical specialist supporting the uptake of modelling in UK academia and industry at COMSOL Ltd, and led measurement-oriented electrochemical simulation at the UK’s National Physical Laboratory. As About:Energy’s Head of Electrochemistry, Edmund’s role falls into three pillars: maintenance and development of parameterisation processes, establishment of a technology development roadmap, and internal education and customer engagement on battery science. Edmund is particularly motivated by the application and democratisation of theoretical methods in science, as well as synoptic approaches to electrochemistry.

Spencer Hanes is Vice President of International Business Development for EnerVenue, where he is responsible for identifying, creating, and managing strategic business opportunities and growth initiatives for the company’s differentiated metal-hydrogen energy storage solutions. Prior to joining EnerVenue, Spencer spent 16 years with Duke Energy in various business development and public policy roles, focusing on focus on renewable energy and energy storage. His development experience spans transmission, wind, solar, and energy storage projects across 32 states. Spencer served on the Board of Directors of the Energy Storage Association (ESA) for three years before it merged with the American Clean Power Association (ACP). He also worked with trade groups such as WIRES, the American Wind Energy Association, the Smart Electric Power Association (SEPA) and the Offshore Wind Development Council. Before Duke Energy, Spencer worked for two years with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Ombudsman, where he served as a public liaison and was responsible for making recommendations for improving the Federal government’s response to Superfund cleanups. Spencer earned a B.A. in Environmental Studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder and an MBA from Wake Forest University. Spencer also attended the Vermont Law & Graduate School, where he earned a Juris Doctor and Master of Environmental Law and Policy.

Dr Isaac Squires is the CEO and co-founder of Polaron, building the intelligence layer for materials science. Driven by a passion to accelerate the development of sustainable materials, Isaac blends expertise across AI, materials science, and engineering. His research at Imperial College London applied cutting-edge AI to lithium-ion battery design. Now, Isaac leads Polaron in translating cutting-edge AI into tangible, scalable, industrial solutions, to power a sustainable future.

Dania Ghantous is the Co-founder and VP of Technology at Qnovo, the market leader in enabling software defined batteries. She has over 25 years of experience in technology development related to materials, batteries, and computation algorithms. A battery scientist at heart, Dania’s innovations and unique understanding of lithium-ion batteries enables her to recognize the theoretical promise of new materials and technology yet distill it into practical implementations that can be readily commercialized. Dania’s team develops the core battery science behind Qnovo’s battery management algorithms. Prior to Qnovo, Dania served in leadership roles developing advanced materials and batteries at Imara, Greatbatch and NanoGram Devices. She is an inventor on more than 50 patents on battery technology. She is recognized as one of the Top 100 Women of Influence in Silicon Valley and is a recipient of the Women’s World Awards for Excellence in Industry Women of the Year in Engineering and Technology. Dania holds a bachelor of science and master of science degrees in Chemical Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology. She enjoys traveling when she can, watching the Golden State Warriors, and solving all types of puzzles.