Sakamoto, Jeff

Prof. Sakamoto has 25 years of experience studying and translating ceramic materials for electrochemical materials into energy technologies for terrestrial and space applications.  He was a senior researcher at the Caltech Jet Propulsion Laboratory (2000-2007) where he helped develop Li ion batteries for the 2003 Mars rovers, a Professor at Michigan State University (2007-2014), and has been a Professor at the University of Michigan since 2014.  His group synthesizes ceramic electrolytes, studies the coupling of mechanics and electrochemical phenomena, and develops manufacturing processes for solid state batteries.  He received two Major Space Act Awards from the NASA Inventions and Contributions Board, is the primary contributor on 34 patents and received the Teacher-Scholar (2013), and Withrow Excellence in Teaching (2009) Awards at Michigan State University. He also founded Zakuro, Inc., a solid-state battery startup in 2020.