Industrial Heat – Challenges and Opportunities
The Texas A&M Energy Institute’s Distinguished Lecture Series in Energy will feature Dr. Sridhar Seetharaman, the Chief Science Officer for the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University and the Fulton Professor of Industrial Decarbonization, on Monday, October 13, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. CDT (UTC -5:00). The topic will be “Industrial Heat – Challenges and Opportunities.”
Abstract
Industrial heat accounts for nearly one-half of the on-site energy used by the energy-intensive industries in the US, which is dominated by five sectors: chemicals/petrochemicals, iron and steel, cement, paper and pulp, and food and beverage. EPIXC (Electrified Processes for Industrial eXCellence), US DOE’s 7th Manufacturing Innovation Institute, aims to develop technologies that improve energy efficiency, process control, and/or product quality for energy-intensive industries. In this talk, I will present key findings from our road map and share updates from our ongoing projects.
Biography
Throughout my 24-year career, I have successfully built strategic partnerships and executed key initiatives across industry, government, and the academic community. I have maintained a consistent focus on the expansion and enrichment of transdisciplinary collaborations by capitalizing on existing research capabilities, regional and national strengths, and matching those to mission-driven needs of heavy industry to become more energy efficient and competitive.
Sridhar is the Chief Science Officer for the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University (the nation’s largest Engineering College) and the Fulton Professor of Industrial Decarbonization. He is the PI and CEO of EPIXC, Electrified Processes for Industrial eXCellence, the U.S. Department of Energy’s 7th Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute, a $170M public-private partnership. I am a member of the U.S. DOE’s Industrial Technology Innovation Advisory Committee (ITIAC). He currently holds a Joint Faculty Appointment at NREL, and is an international member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, a Distinguished Member and Fellow of the Association for Iron and Steel Technology (AIST), and a MERCATOR Fellow of the German Research Foundation (DFG). Previous appointments include: Senior Advisor at US DOE (EERE). He received his PHD from MIT and his undergraduate degree from the Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden).