The U.S. Department of Energy’s Critical Materials Innovation (CMI) Hub is educating and training the critical materials workforce of the future while advancing innovative and award-winning research to meet the needs of industry and the United States. CMI employs around 80 students per year and offers unique internship and partnership opportunities. Graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and early career researchers have resources to develop research, leadership, and outreach skills, allowing them to become the leaders, technical experts, and skilled professionals needed to assure critical materials supply chains in the United States.
“CMI is educating and training the next generation of the critical materials workforce,” explained CMI Director Tom Lograsso, Ames National Laboratory. “For over 11 years, CMI has trained hundreds of students and early career researchers using internship programs and has created unique opportunities through externships and specific training for industry needs.”
Rakesh Chaudhary started on his career path as a postdoc at Ames National Laboratory. He was hired by a U.S.-based magnet manufacturer, and during his first few months there he returned to Ames Laboratory for specialized training in magnets. Chaudhary is a graduate of The University of Texas Arlington, a Minority Serving Institution that became a CMI Team member during CMI third phase of operation.
CMI encourages and supports individuals joining the STEM workforce at various points in their careers, including as early as their collegiate years, through internship programs with universities, national laboratories, and federal agencies. These opportunities include the DOE’s Office of Science Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists programs: Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI), Community College Internships (CCI), Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR), and Visiting Faculty Program (VFP). In 2024, CMI launched its own internship program to provide opportunities for students from underserved communities and underrepresented institutions to work at national laboratories.
“Mentoring is key, as are opportunities to network with the partners in the Hub, including industry, universities, government, and national laboratories,” Lograsso said.
Rubyann Olmos was an undergrad at the University of Texas at El Paso when she first came to Ames National Laboratory with the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program. She then returned to Ames Laboratory as a SULI intern. Now, she is a doctoral student at Rice University in physics.
For mid-career scientists, the CMI Leadership Academy provides opportunities to hone leadership and management skills while being immersed in opportunities tailored to Hub needs. Through five cohorts of the Academy, dozens of participating researchers have advanced to new leadership roles within CMI or their home organizations or have earned higher-level positions with external organizations. Of the CMI R&D 100 Awards won in 2023, two projects included past members of the CMI Leadership Academy.
Another early career, award-winning researcher is Meng Shi, who joined Idaho National Laboratory as a postdoc. Shi did a CMI externship with a private company and returned to work on critical metal recovery from spent lithium-ion battery materials, including electrochemical leaching (an environmentally friendly method for lithium extraction from old lithium batteries called EC-Leach), which won an R&D 100 Award in 2022.
The CMI Meeting at Mines is an annual forum for students and early career researchers to present their work and network with CMI partners from industry, universities, and national laboratories. The event also provides leadership opportunities for the CMI Leadership Academy.
Hunter Henderson won the CMI Meeting at Mines presentation award as a postdoc at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He was subsequently hired by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and became a CMI project lead and mentor.
Hundreds of CMI alumni have advanced their education and careers through their experiences with CMI programs and partners. These individuals now work for government agencies, national laboratories, universities, industry, and nonprofit organizations or associations, in a variety of sectors—energy, minerals and mining, engineering and technology, retail, finance, and health.
Tsisilile (Tisi) Barlock is one CMI alumna who has advanced through several roles with national laboratories and government. She earned her doctorate at Colorado School of Mines, a CMI Team member, and was subsequently hired at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory where she advanced from intern to postdoc to researcher. Then, she served as a senior advisor to the DOE. Now, she works at Argonne National Laboratory.
More information about CMI Education and Workforce Development is available online at https://www.ameslab.gov/cmi/cmi-workforce-development. Specific links:
- CMI internship (new 2024): https://www.ameslab.gov/cmi/cmi-workforce-development-internship
- CMI Leadership Academy: https://www.ameslab.gov/cmi/cmi-leadership-academy
- Workforce training between industry and national laboratory: https://www.ameslab.gov/cmi/research-highlights/workforce-development-material-engineer-externship-at-national-laboratory
- Career development: https://www.ameslab.gov/cmi/cmi-career-development
- Early Career Bios: https://www.ameslab.gov/cmi/cmi-encourages-early-research-careers
In 11 years as an Energy Innovation Hub, CMI has worked with more than 440 early career researchers. CMI has 680 publications and 55 patents. CMI has developed six open-source software packages, and 20 CMI technologies have been licensed. To partner with CMI or license CMI technologies, contact Stacy Joiner, CMI Partner Relations, sjoiner@ameslab.gov or 515-296-4508.
The Critical Materials Innovation (CMI) Hub is led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames National Laboratory with support from the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO). CMI seeks ways to accelerate the development of critical material technologies and enhance the innovation pipeline for U.S. supply chains by accelerating research, educating a diverse workforce, and creating de-risked, commercial-ready technologies in partnership with American industry.
Ames National Laboratory is a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science National Laboratory operated by Iowa State University. Ames Laboratory creates innovative materials, technologies and energy solutions. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit https://energy.gov/science.