Daniel Cudzich

    My name is Daniel Cudzich, and I am a PhD student at Stanford University studying Materials Science and Engineering. I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign with a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering and a minor in Computer Science. Concentrating in electronic materials, I have specialized in developing novel battery technologies, especially solid-state lithium-ion systems, and I am additionally exploring semiconductor materials as they apply to energy.

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    I have acquired simulation techniques to expedite materials discovery, experiment design, and machine development for large-scale manufacture. Harnessing powerful software such as ANSYS and working directly with partial differential equation solvers like pyPDE, I'm exploring powerful tools in simulation to pursue superior battery designs and manufacturing processes.

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Employment & Experience - Summary

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   I had the honor of working with Prof. Paul Braun in developing solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) to improve the safety and performance of lithium-ion batteries. Batteries are integral to developing renewable energy infrastructure, and SSEs are set to deliver the improvements necessary critical for safe, high-performance, and widespread adoption.

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    Between January and August 2023, I worked at Apple Inc. as a battery manufacturing and design engineering intern, harnessing my simulation capabilities to facilitate designs of experiments (DOEs), prototype new machines with advanced sensor suites, and expedite root cause analysis for defects across multiple Apple products.

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    In 2022, I applied my battery expertise at Panasonic Energy of North America (PENA) as quality engineering intern. Harnessing the insights of data analytics, I led inspection improvement initiatives that are now set to save more than $110,000 annually, and I learned immensely about large-scale Li-ion manufacture.

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    For the summer of 2021, I served as a research aide at Argonne National Laboratory conducting transient thermal simulations to assess laser-based methods for creating qubits in diamond and silicon carbide. Computational approaches vastly expedite research, delivering efficient predictions so that tomorrow's technologies become today's reality.

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    Beyond academic pursuits, I enjoy biking, tennis, and virtual reality. My hiking journeys have taken me to multiple mountains, and I am eager to climb more! As I begin my PhD, I'm excited to diversify outside of my undergraduate research and gain interdisciplinary skills across energy materials and their applications.