Pittsburgh University Lab Wins Major Federal Grant for Materials Research

A materials science research lab at a Pittsburgh-area university has won a $12 million federal grant to study next-generation battery materials, one of the larger research awards the university has received in recent years and a boost to the region's efforts to position itself in advanced manufacturing research.

The five-year grant will fund a team of roughly fifteen graduate researchers studying alternatives to materials currently used in lithium-ion batteries, work the lead researcher says has direct relevance to regional manufacturers exploring battery component production.

"This isn't research happening in isolation from industry," the lab's principal investigator said. "We've structured the grant with input from two regional manufacturers who will get early access to findings in exchange for providing testing facilities we couldn't otherwise afford."

University officials point to the grant as evidence of the region's growing research infrastructure around advanced materials, an area they've prioritized as manufacturing employment has shifted away from traditional steel production toward higher-value specialty materials. The grant includes funding for undergraduate research assistant positions, which the university says will begin recruiting students for this fall.