Speaker Biographies

Beatrice Browning is the Battery Recycling Technology Lead in the recycling team at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. She holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham, giving her an in-depth technical understanding of lithium-ion battery recycling techniques. Beatrice has been working on the recycling forecast since March 2022, tracking regional advancements in battery recycling infrastructure, technologies, and policy frameworks to build up a global understanding of the lithium-ion battery recycling market.

Kai Lun Chiu is a battery recycling expert with over a decade of hands-on experience in lithium-ion battery processing, including discharge, mechanical separation, and hydrometallurgical recovery. He holds a PhD in battery material recycling and has led high-impact projects across Asia, Europe, and North America. His international portfolio includes spearheading the construction of Europe’s largest battery recycling Giga factory and managing large-scale technology deployments for Fortune 500 clients. With deep technical expertise and a proven ability to navigate complex, cross-cultural collaborations, Kai now focuses on scaling sustainable and innovative recycling solutions to meet the demands of a global circular economy.

Anna is a fourth year PhD student in the Engineering and Public Policy Department at Carnegie Mellon University, advised by Dr. Jeremy Michalek. During her PhD, she has worked on a number of projects related to trends in automotive technology, including ridesharing and electrification. She has a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech and has interned at companies across the energy industry, including Solar Turbines and TerraPower.

Matthew Cooper has over a decade of experience in the electric vehicle industry, spanning EV engine development, battery pack design, and BMS systems. He currently serves as VP of Business Development for North America and China at Green Lion, a leading domestic battery refiner producing high-purity MHP, MMH (Pre-PCAM), and Lithium Carbonate from recycled lithium-ion black mass. Matthew brings deep expertise in advanced energy systems, sustainable manufacturing, and international business development, helping accelerate the transition to clean mobility and circular battery economies.

Dr. Kulwinder Dhindsa is Manager of Battery Materials & Recycling at Nissan Technical Centre North America. He holds a PhD in Physics from Wayne State University, where his research focused on electrochemical performance enhancement of LiFePO4-carbon nanocomposites as LIB cathode materials, an MS in Applied Physics from Guru Nanak Dev University and Bachelor's degrees in both Education and Science from Panjab and Punjabi Universities.

Josh Freeman currently serves as Manager, Battery Public Policy, at Panasonic North America. He utilizes his background in mechanical engineering and policy analysis to support Panasonic's government affairs strategy with regard to the company's battery business. He has a master's degree in Sustainable Energy from Johns' Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

Advised clients on both short- and long-term growth strategy while bridge-making between Asian-USA/European companies as a management consultant for 20 years. Expertise Area: Business strategy, Transformation, Cross border M&A, Business Due Diligence, Alliance advisory & PMI (Post Merger Integration). Industries: Chemical / materials and automotive / auto-parts / aerospace industries including lithium-ion battery and electric vehicle.

Dr. Weikang Li is the Chief Technology Officer of ExPost Technology Inc., with extensive experience in the battery recycling field. He completed a Postdoctoral fellowship for 5 years at the University of California, San Diego. He holds a Ph.D. degree in Environmental Engineering from Beijing Institute of Technology. He also has a dual bachelor's degree in business administration. His research focuses on cathode synthesis, modification, degradation mechanism, and direct recycling. He has published more than 40 peer-reviewed articles in well-recognized journals. He oversees several advanced battery recycling projects to enhance profitability and safety.

Dr. Albert L. Lipson did his PhD work in materials science and engineering at Northwestern University under the supervision of Prof. Mark C. Hersam. Dr. Lipson then joined Argonne National Laboratory as a postdoc working with the Joint Center for Energy storage, which is a Department of Energy innovation hub. His research as a postdoc focused on development and testing of Mg-ion and Ca-ion cathode materials, and their subsequent integration into battery systems. After his postdoc, Dr. Lipson became a materials scientist at the Materials Engineering Research Facility working on the coprecipitation synthesis of high energy density Li-ion battery cathode materials. He is now part of the ReCell center focused on Li-ion battery recycling working on electrolyte extraction and recovery, thermal binder removal and making graphene from spent anode along with scaling these processes.

Ryan Melsert, CEO and CTO of American Battery Technology Company (ABTC), is a pioneering leader in sustainable battery metal solutions. With over 20 years of experience, Melsert has driven innovations such as the commercialization of battery recycling technologies and the production of battery-grade lithium hydroxide from Nevada's claystone reserves. Previously, he contributed to Tesla as R&D Manager, playing a key role at the world’s first Gigafactory. Awarded the prestigious BASF Circularity Challenge, Melsert has authored influential publications, secured patents, and led federal renewable energy projects. A Penn State and Georgia Tech alumnus, he combines engineering expertise with business acumen to redefine sustainable energy solutions and set global benchmarks for ethical innovation.

Zarko Meseldzija is the Battery Recycling Manager at PowerCo. He has a range of industry experience with a deep insight in project management, process development projects, and circular economy strategies. Zarko holds a BSc. in Mining Engineering from the University of Alberta and obtained his MBA from the Beedie School of Business.

Dr. Robert Miles is the Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer for Momentum Technologies. He attended the Naval Academy, where he graduated with honors and holds an M.S. and PhD in Physics from Caltech. Rob previously consulted for McKinsey & Co and was an in-house entrepreneur for Hunt Oil and Sevin Rosen Funds.

Les Morgret, Ph.D., PMP is a Senior Program Manager at Ascend Elements, where he manages the recycling business unit comprising both the production of black mass and lithium carbonate. With over 15 years of program management experience, Les is inspired when teams of individuals are organized to achieve excellence. He holds a Doctorate in Materials Science and Engineering from Northwestern University.

Emil Nusbaum is the Vice President of Strategy, Government and Regulatory Affairs for the Automotive Recyclers Association. He also serves as Co-Chair of NAATBatt’s Policy and Regulatory Committee. Prior to joining ARA, Emil was Policy Counsel for the National Vehicle Service, which is widely recognized as the world leader in providing unique vehicle theft, vehicle fraud, and asset protection solutions to the law enforcement community, vehicle finance industry, and insurance and rental car industries. Throughout his career, Emil has worked in many areas of the automotive industry in ways that have allowed him to focus on the intersection of law, policy, privacy, technology, and the entirety of product lifecycle. Emil frequently works on crafting policy recommendations and best practices with federal and state government. This includes policies relating to a diverse range of subjects including electric vehicle batteries, pollution control, catalytic converter theft, vehicle data access, vehicle exports, and other automotive related issues.

Nathan Nye leads Tesla’s Battery Recycling and Circular Economy strategy across the Americas, driving innovative lifecycle management and integrated lithium-ion battery recovery programs for all business channels. Since 2018, he has spearheaded Tesla’s North American battery recycling operations, playing a pivotal role in establishing the company’s first in-house recycling facility at Gigafactory Nevada in 2020. With over 15 years of expertise in regulated waste and battery recycling, Nathan actively shapes industry standards through his contributions to CalEPA’s Battery Recycling Advisory Group and as Vice Chair of the Manufacturing & Infrastructure Committee for the Li-Bridge Initiative. Previously, he served as a program consultant for Alphabet Inc., supporting subsidiaries like Google, Waymo, and X-Labs in developing safe handling and emergency response protocols for next-generation and end-of-life batteries. Nathan holds an M.S. in Environmental Management from the University of San Francisco and is a combat veteran of the United States Marine Corps.

Kirstyn Petras is a Senior Price Reporter at Fastmarkets, where she covers nonferrous recycled materials including aluminum and copper scrap and black mass, as well as reporting of battery materials and battery recycling markets. Prior to joining Fastmarkets in 2021, she covered petrochemical and uranium markets and previously worked writing news briefs for MGOs and MNCs.

Grayson Shor is a battery and critical minerals circularity expert who has scaled multi-million-dollar sustainability programs across five continents while working in roles in industry, government, and civil society. Grayson is the Executive Director of The Pacific Northwest Battery Collaborative, the Pacific Northwest's largest network of battery professionals and a Co-Founder of Buckstop, a urban mining and critical minerals circularity company. Prior to these roles, Grayson founded and led Amazon Worldwide Operations’ (WW Ops) circular economy and battery sustainability program, where he was responsible for developing and scaling resource efficient solutions for WW Ops' activities in 20+ countries and 1.2+ million employees. Grayson's experience includes serving as a U.S. diplomat, lead environmental intelligence briefer to Secretary John Kerry, humanitarian aid worker, and restaurant owner. Grayson launched the world’s largest commercial EV fleet operator’s first battery circularity program, has contributed to over 200 U.S. government sustainability policy documents, managed a $20M+ climate-focused philanthropic grant portfolio, and guest lectures on climate security at universities including Georgetown and the University of Washington. Grayson grew up on an avocado ranch in Santa Barbara and in his free time enjoys wilderness backpacking and playing blues guitar.

Steve Sloop has pioneered comprehensive methods to improve safety and efficiency in recycling lithium-ion batteries and materials. These include deactivation of lithium-ion batteries to eliminate hazards in transportation and storage; electrolyte extraction; electrode harvesting and separation; and cathode-healingâ„¢, which is a direct method to reintroduce lithium, structure, and performance to scrap electrodes.