Plug Power VP Inspires Engineering Students and Faculty with Talk on Decision Making in Corporate Research
January 13, 2024 | Jordan Baker, Center for Clean Energy Engineering
On Friday February 2nd, Dr. Cortney Mittelsteadt presented a talk to UConn engineering students and faculty within the Center for Clean Energy Engineering (C2E2). Mittelsteadt who worked with Giner Inc, and later became CEO before becoming the Vice President of Electrolyzer Technology for Plug Power, shared stories of his work with various industry companies such as General Motors (GM), NASA, and the Department of Energy (DOE).
Dr. Cortney Mittelsteadt talking with graduate students after his talk in the Engineering Science Building. (Jordan Baker/UConn photo)
His talk, which prompted many questions from students and faculty, discussed the importance of decision making in corporate research and development while also providing examples of his own career in hydrogen fuel cell and electrolyzer technology. The talk gave students, both undergraduate and graduate, insight into what a career as a PhD scientist can look like outside of academia. He gave examples of projects that he worked on with GM, NASA, and the DOE while also sharing the technological issues he faced within these projects.
His examples provided insight into the exciting careers working in the hydrogen fuel cell industry and general knowledge of the business side in the industry. The technological and business challenges that he dealt with included technical issues with materials and large-scale fabrication, lab space expansion, funding limitations, competitive world of business, to name just a few. He showed the strength that an image or an “easy” story can have, while emphasizing the fact that there needs to be science and research behind it.
Mittelsteadt is now the Vice President of Electrolyzer Technology for Power Plug, an industry company that has a strong history of collaboration with UConn for several years. Dr. Jasna Jankovic, a faculty member within C2E2, said of the talk, “We are happy to host Dr. Cortney Mittelsteadt here at UConn. He brings immense knowledge and experience in both technical and business side of hydrogen technologies. We have been collaborating with Dr. Mittelsteadt and Plug Power for many years now, and they have always been great partners to UConn, supporters of our initiatives, and mentors to our students.”
UConn and Plug Power have had a strong history of collaboration between faculty and students alike. Dr. Mittelsteadt’s talk was a powerful addition to this relationship. Mariah Batool, a graduate student within the Materials Science and Engineering Department and C2E2, said of the talk, “Dr. Mittelsteadt highlighted the hurdles and gaps between the inception of research ideas, large-scale production considerations and process of securing financial backing. It was reassuring to see that despite numerous challenges, with passion, commitment, and hard work, Plug Power continues to make remarkable progress and demonstrate excellence in leading Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) technologies. The ongoing collaboration between UConn and Plug Power, offers promising opportunity to graduate students to expand their knowledge, learn from one of the market’s leaders of PEM technology, and foster strong academic-industry linkage.”
The faculty and students in attendance received an inspiring story of challenges and solutions in the growing field of the clean energy industry. These stories will help aid students (and even faculty) in their own careers and motivate them to continue to foster their passion for the science and push through any challenges.
Dr. Cortney Mittelsteadt talking with faculty member Prof. Jeff McCutcheon (Jordan Baker/UConn photo)
