Contact
Questions about our research, collaborations, or joining the group are welcome. Companies and agencies: see how we work with partners.
Prof. Laurent Pilon
Gradient Lab: Energy Materials, Interfaces & Transport
Science and Technology Center
4 Colby St, Medford, MA 02155
Tufts University
laurent.pilon@tufts.eduEmail
Openings and prospective members
We are recruiting PhD students and postdoctoral researchers across all of our research areas. Our first cohort will join in Summer 2027, when our new laboratory opens. We look for curious, motivated people with backgrounds in mechanical, chemical, or materials engineering, physics, or chemistry.
- PhD applicants: please email a CV and a short statement of research interests, then apply through Tufts graduate admissions.
- Postdoctoral researchers: please email a CV, a list of publications, and the names of references.
- Undergraduates: please email a CV, transcript, and your availability.
- Visiting scholars and students: please email a CV, a short project proposal, your proposed dates, and your source of funding.
Partner with us
We work with companies, national laboratories, and government agencies to move energy technologies from discovery to deployment, from a single measurement to a multi-year research program.
Why partner with us
Two decades of results
More than 220 journal articles, U.S. patents and patent applications, and 80+ alumni now in industry, national laboratories, and universities.
Measure and explain
We pair custom instruments, such as operando isothermal calorimetry, with physics-based models, so results come with an explanation, not just a number.
ARPA-E experience
Prof. Pilon served as Program Director and Associate Director for Technology at ARPA-E, managing programs from early research to commercialization.
Access to TEMI
Through the Tufts Epsilon Materials Institute, partners can reach materials expertise across Tufts University.
Ways to engage
Sponsored research
Multi-year projects on questions that matter to your organization, carried out by graduate students and postdoctoral researchers.
Characterization and testing
Measurements on your materials or cells using our instruments, with analysis and interpretation. System testing for performance and reliability.
Modeling and analysis
Physics-based models of electrochemical, thermal, and radiative transport to interpret your data or guide design decisions and operation.
Joint proposals
Teaming on corporate, philanthropic, and federal funding opportunities from DOE, NSF, and DoD, including SBIR/STTR projects with small businesses.
Past partners and sponsors
Industry partners include AGC (Asahi Glass Co.), PPG Industries, Cardinal Glass Industries, Seoul Viosys, and HyperMed. Government sponsors include:
