Learn why Dr. Jie Xiao loves her job as the chief scientist and group lead of Batteries & Materials System at PNNL.
July 16, 2019
minute read time
Dr. Jie Xiao joined PNNL as a postdoctoral research associate in 2008 and is currently a chief scientist and group lead of Batteries & Materials System. She also holds a joint position at Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at University of Arkansas. Dr. Xiao leads research thrusts on both practical applications and fundamental study of energy storage materials and systems, spanning from micro-batteries for acoustic fish tags to advanced battery technologies for vehicle electrification and grid energy storage. She has published 2 book chapters and more than 100 peer-reviewed journal papers and has been named top 1% Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researcher since 2017. Additionally, she holds 16 US patents in the area of energy storage field. Dr. Xiao obtained her Ph.D. in Materials Chemistry from State University of New York Binghamton.
What inspired you to work in STEM?
When I was in elementary school, we had a lab class using a glass syringe without a needle. When we entered the lab, the teacher said, “do NOT use your finger to block the tip of the syringe and unplug the plunger!” But he did not explain why, so I tried. The vacuum generated within the tube sucked the plunger back violently and broke the glass syringe. I forget what the lab was about, but that incident triggered my interest to find the answer why the glass was broken. I found that STEM is cool. And don’t worry: I used money from my piggy bank to pay for that syringe!
What excites you about your work at the Energy Department?
Currently, I’m co-leading a national battery research consortium that includes 4 national labs and 5 universities plus 10 seedling projects across the country to support the core team. Not only we do great science every day, we apply the new discoveries into realistic batteries and see how they work in the real systems. A record cycling of next-generation battery technologies has been demonstrated by implementing the new ideas developed from the consortium. It is so exciting!
How can our country engage more women, girls, and other underrepresented groups in STEM?
Women who have great potential in STEM may not be aware of their talents when they are young—or even than they can develop those talents! A female role model in early childhood can be very important to encourage girls to study STEM. Opportunities for women to speak out if they need any help or resources will also help them grow careers in STEM.
Do you have tips you'd recommend for someone looking to enter your field of work?
Don’t feel frustrated when you found your experiments don’t work as expected. Try your best to understand why it doesn’t work, and the underlying fundamental mechanism will help you identify the right direction to make it work next time.
When you have free time, what are your hobbies?
Fishing and shopping.