$11.5 Million Sponsorship Creates New Research Institute

“I have fond memories of being a freshman at South Hall [now Harleston Hall] and making connections during international orientation, some of whom became friends for life,” he said. “By making friends from all over the world, I had the opportunity to learn about global cultures as well, and that’s been both personally and professionally very rewarding.”

Handa recalled interactions with Tufts professors that were “very engaging. I owe them a debt of gratitude for helping me build my foundation for the years ahead.”

The seed of an idea for industry-academia collaboration was planted in February 2020 when Handa attended an event at Tufts in which he and other alumni spoke with students. “I was amazed to see how strong Tufts had become in bioengineering,” he said. 

Since then, in conversations with faculty, he realized how Tufts’ approach on materials could help achieve clean energy goals. “It became clear that the innovative research going on at the School of Engineering would be a great foundation for the institute to develop breakthrough technologies for the future.”

The Clean Energy Transition 

Handa’s career has followed an upward trajectory of its own as he has driven innovations in the carbon black and battery materials industry. The industry includes the production, processing, and application of carbon black, which plays an instrumental role in elevating the performance of lithium-ion batteries.

In 2010, Handa founded the industrial conglomerate Epsilon Group. Its subsidiaries include Epsilon Carbon and Epsilon Advanced Materials, which he founded in 2018 to meet the growing need for more sustainable approaches to the production of battery anode and cathode materials.

In light of the catastrophic impact of climate change, it is imperative to bolster investments that can make a sizeable contribution to new sustainable energy sources, Handa said at the School of Engineering Dean’s Lecture last fall.

“Instead of relying on fossil fuels, battery power has emerged as a viable option” for consumer electronics, energy storage, electric vehicles, and other uses, he said. “Despite the increasing interest in battery power, the supply and quality of battery materials has not yet caught up with the growing demand.”

A truly effective clean energy transition depends on tackling complex questions related to materials science, such as how to improve clean energy storage and delivery and how to reduce the environmental impact of industrial and household goods, from manufacturing through disposal.

Now, solving those and other challenges will be among the top priorities of the Tufts Epsilon Materials Institute, Handa said. 

“The collaboration between Epsilon and Tufts will have a profound and positive impact on humanity and the health of the planet,” he said. “Tufts is already a global leader in developing technologies and materials solutions that touch our everyday lives, and I am confident that the Tufts Epsilon Materials Institute will work to further develop materials that will support the energy transition and give future generations a better, cleaner world.”