Erick Lawrence

Background

I grew up in the mountains of Montana before attending the University of Utah for a 5-year combined BS/MS degree in Materials Science & Engineering. There, my research focused on the structural and electrochemical characterization of a new vanadium-rich Wadsley-Roth-type anode for fast-charging Li-ion battery applications. Outside of lab, I am big-time into backpacking, skiing, ski mountaineering, and basically, anything that can get me up into the alpine.

Current Research

My current research focuses on the microwave synthesis of disordered rocksalt cathodes aimed at streamlining the energy-intensive synthesis process. By combining NMR, diffraction, and electrochemical techniques we hope to better understand the atomic-scale processes occurring throughout synthesis.

Education

• 2023-Present – Graduate Student, Materials Department, UC Santa Barbara.
• 2018-2023 – M.S. in Materials Science, University of Utah.
• 2018-2023 – B.S. in Materials Science, University of Utah.

Awards and Honors

• 2025: NDSEG Graduate Fellowship.
• 2024: Best Poster Prize, US School on Total Scattering Analysis.