Nidhi Kapate | Student Spotlight

Nidhi Kapate

Ph.D. Candidate | 2023 JEDI Graduation Award recipient

Materials Science and Engineering

Chueh Lab

"Climate crisis is the biggest challenge we face in the 21st century and I decided to work on contributing solutions to help tackle this real-world problem. 

At Stanford, my research focuses on investigating the fundamental transport and kinetic properties of cathode materials for Li-ion batteries. If we are able to understand how Li ions move in these materials, we can use that knowledge to develop better design rules for future cathode materials, ultimately leading to more efficient batteries. Through my work, I'm able to probe fundamental scientific questions that can eventually be translated into engineering solutions.

In addition to the real-word impact research can have, I also recognize the impact that positive role models and a supportive community can have on furthering scientific progress. I have devoted myself to actively contributing to the communities which I am a part of. This past academic year, I served as one of the presidents of MRS, our department’s graduate student group. With my co-president Ana de la Fuente Duran, over the past year we hosted multiple department-wide events with the goal of building community, and also organized our department's visit weekend for incoming PhD students. On top of my work with MRS, I’ve also served as a mentor for students in the SURF program for the past 2 years and regularly volunteer at STEM outreach events in the Bay Area to help promote science and engineering to a broad range of communities."