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The ECS New England Section invites you to the June 2026 Section Meeting on June 23, 2026 at Northeastern University.

The event will include networking, a buffet dinner, and a presentation from David Kwabi (Yale University)

Date and Time: Tuesday, June 23, 2026 - 6:00-9:00pm

Location: Egan Research Center 440, Northeastern University

Member: $35
Nonmember: $45
Student: $15
Registration fee includes dinner.

ABSTRACT
Averting the worst impacts of climate change will require massive reductions in CO₂ emissions—on the scale of billions of tons—within the next decade. Meeting this challenge demands a rapid shift to renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, alongside large-scale CO₂ capture and storage. Yet the intermittency of renewables calls for cost-effective, energy-efficient storage to ensure reliable grid performance, and CO₂ capture technologies must likewise be affordable and energy-efficient to scale. Electrochemical approaches offer a promising path forward, enabling efficient energy storage and selective CO₂ capture while avoiding the energy losses inherent to conventional (e.g., thermal) methods. This presentation will describe our progress in designing such systems. I will highlight how combining spectroscopic analysis with advanced modeling and customized reactor design can drive breakthroughs in grid-scale storage using organic redox-flow batteries and in CO₂ capture powered by pH-swing processes. These advances may unlock practical solutions across a range of industrial processes in energy conversion, energy storage, and chemical separations.

SPEAKER BIO
David Kwabi is an Associate Professor in the Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department at Yale University. He earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Princeton University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, respectively, and was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University. His research focuses on developing energy- and resource-efficient electrochemical systems to address decarbonization and environmental sustainability.