Thursday, February 19th, 2026
6:00-8:00 PM

Adam Stevenson, Saint Gobain Ceramics
"Driving Industrial Transformations through Ceramic Materials Innovation"
and
Prof. Soumendra Basu, Boston University
"Relationship Between Microstructure and Performance in Solid Oxide Cells"
​
Location:
Boston University (BU)
Center for Computing and Data Sciences (CDS)
665 Commonwealth Ave, Boston MA 02215
Room 950 (9th Floor)
Scroll down for registration and additional event information
Abstracts
​"Driving Industrial Transformations through Ceramic Materials Innovation" Saint-Gobain's Ceramic Materials business is helping to re-shape the industrial landscape through advanced materials engineering and innovation. This talk will begin with examples from our product portfolio and its deployment across sectors including glass manufacturing, steel and aluminum processing, semiconductor fabrication, and aerospace. 
We will then explore how Saint-Gobain Ceramics is accelerating transformation in three sectors: lithium-ion batteries, hydrogen technologies, and industrial efficiency. In lithium systems, our materials are enabling new Li extraction methods and solid state batteries. In hydrogen, we are developing components for several electrolysis technologies with a focus on durability and scalability. For industrial efficiency, we are deploying ceramics to reduce energy consumption, extend equipment life, and enable process intensification.
Throughout the presentation, I will highlight collaborative R&D efforts, pilot-scale demonstrations, and the integration of ceramic solutions into evolving industrial ecosystems. The goal is to show how materials innovation—especially in ceramics—is actively driving the transition toward electrification, decarbonization, and circularity in heavy industry.

"Relationship Between Microstructure and Performance in Solid Oxide Cells" Solid oxide cells (SOCs) are high temperature devices that generate electricity when run in the fuel cell (SOFC) mode and generate hydrogen fuel when run in the electrolysis cell (SOEC) mode. They can also act as energy storage devices when run as reversible solid oxide electrochemical cells (RSOEC). The high temperature operation of these devices can lead to unwanted microstructural changes such as interfacial reactions, delamination, grain coarsening, material migration and surface segregation, that can adversely affect device performance. In this talk, I will discuss the relationship between microstructural changes studied by SEM, TEM, XRD, XPS, and FIB/SEM-based 3-D reconstruction and the degradation of the electrochemical behavior of these devices. Strategies of mitigating such degradation and enhancing device performance will also be discussed. 
About the Speakers
Dr. Adam Stevenson
Adam Stevenson is R&D Director for Lithium Solutions and Specialty Grains and Powders at Saint-Gobain Ceramic Materials, where he oversees development of sustainable battery materials and advanced ceramic processing technologies. He earned his PhD in Materials Science from Penn State University and conducted postdoctoral research at ENSCP in Paris before joining Saint-Gobain 15 years ago. Throughout his career, his research has focused on ceramic materials and processing methods that improve industrial sustainability, including work on oxygen transport membranes and high-temperature material systems. He now leads engineering teams developing sustainable approaches across the battery supply chain, from direct lithium extraction through solid state electrolyte synthesis to ceramic product recycling.
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Prof. Soumendra Basu
​Soumendra Basu is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and the Associate Division Head of the Division of Materials Science and Engineering at Boston University. His research interests include solid oxide cells for electricity and hydrogen generation, optical fibers for mid-IR transmission, wide bandgap materials for solid state lighting, thermal barrier and environmental barrier coatings for gas turbine applications, effects of interfacial structure and segregation on interfacial strength, high temperature oxidation and corrosion of alloys, and characterization of structure and phase transformations in materials using electron microscopy techniques. After receiving his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from MIT, Professor Basu was a postdoctoral researcher at Los Alamos National Laboratory, prior to joining Boston University. Professor Basu has close to 200 peer-reviewed publications and has presented close to 200 talks nationally and internationally. Prof. Basu is the incoming Chair of the Functional Materials Division of TMS.

Technical Program
6:00 p.m.: Arrival, Registration Check-In (pay with cash or check), Dinner Will be Served
6:30 p.m.: Talks by Dr. Adam Stevenson & Prof. Soumendra Basu 
7:15 p.m.: Social & Networking
8:00 p.m.: Adjourn
Location & Directions
Boston University (BU)
Center for Computing and Data Sciences (CDS)
665 Commonwealth Ave, Boston MA 02215
Rm. 950 (9th Floor)
Parking Directions

Registration is now Closed


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