Next Generation Electrochemistry (NGenE) Workshop at Argonne National Laboratory on July 6-10, 2026.
Argonne Collaborative Center for Energy Storage Science (ACCESS), the Energy Storage Research Alliance (ESRA), and the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) — through the George Crabtree Institute for Discovery and Sustainability — are excited to co-host the 2026 Next Generation Electrochemistry (NGenE) Workshop. Since its inception in 2016, this annual event empowers the next wave of electrochemistry scientists to explore this rapidly growing scientific field.
NGenE selects up to 40 advanced graduate students and postdoctoral researchers from around the country to participate in an intensive week-long summer workshop that explores advanced topics in electrochemistry. They spend five days with world-renowned researchers and lecturers to discuss unsolved electrochemistry challengesthat the coming generations can address through forward-looking ideas. They approach these questions through lectures and facilitated discussions, research project planning, lab visits, and demonstrations.
Scheduled for July 6–10, 2026, the NGenE Workshop will take place at Argonne National Laboratory.
Why Electrochemistry?
Electrochemistry – the manipulation of electrical charge to drive chemical change – is central to applications and devices in fields as varied as medicine, environmental remediation and energy, and integrates concepts spanning chemistry, physics and engineering. For example, electrochemists are making advances in energy storage solutions for the electric grid, converting energy efficiently and removing or harvesting chemicals from water sources.
NGenE will focus on the existing and emerging challenges in electrochemistry, and the application of innovative strategies in synthesis, characterization, theory and simulation to address these challenges. The NGenE Workshop addresses the urgent need to train the next generation of electrochemists who will drive innovation in these areas. NGenE does not ask, “What is electrochemistry?” but instead “What will electrochemistry become?”.
This year’s theme, “Electrochemistry and AI: Pioneering Intelligent Energy Solutions,” highlights the innovative potential of AI in electrochemical science and technology on wide-ranging energy. Electrochemistry is central to creating a future that features a wealth of energy sources while revolutionizing how we synthesize and recycle materials. NGenE 2026 will bring together rising researchers to explore both persistent challenges and emerging opportunities in electrochemical science. Participants will engage with topics ranging from practical hurdles in battery interfaces and electrocatalysis to emerging frontiers in selective electrosynthesis and materials recovery.
The workshop program will explore questions like achieving precise control of electron transfer at complex interfaces, designing programmable transformations, and opening novel electrochemical avenues of producing materials. We will examine both near-term improvements to existing systems and potentially transformative approaches that could reshape the field over the next decade.
Intellectual Approach
Because the focus is on the frontiers of research and not the intricacies of what is known, NGenE graduate students and postdocs are among the brightest in their fields. The program challenges lecturers and participants to identify the most important questions for next generation research and to design innovative experimental and theoretical approaches to answer these questions. Therefore, participants are expected to absorb and exchange information at a high level. Relevant questions include:
- What are the most important unsolved issues in a given area of electrochemistry?
- What do we know for each part and how do we know it?
- What do we want to know but do not know, and how we would go about finding it out?
- What intuition or experience guides our speculation about what could happen?
Unique Learning Opportunities
Participants in the workshop will gain:
- Exclusive access to Argonne’s facilities, such as the Aurora Exascale Supercomputer and more.
- Hands-on experience with cutting-edge topics through lectures, collaborative projects, and mentorship opportunities.
- A chance to develop creative solutions to some of the most pressing challenges in electrochemistry today.
- Student research projects where students choose one of the top unsolved challenges in electrochemistry. Working in teams, they develop a scientific program to solve the problem through innovative experiments and theory.
The workshop fosters team-based problem-solving, encouraging participants to think critically and collaboratively about real-world applications of electrochemistry.
Application Process
Applications are now open for the free NGenE Workshop, which accepts 30 to 40 students each year. There are no registration fees. The progam subsidizes participants’ travel expenses and funds Argonne on-campus lodging. Further details on costs that participants are responsible for will be provided during the application and selection process.
Participation is limited. Participants will be selected through a selection committee based on a competitive application process. This is only for students studying at U.S. universities; foreign travel is not funded. The deadline to apply is April 30, 2026. Selected participants will be notified by the end of May 2026.
This workshop is designed for PhD students and postdocs with experience in electrochemical science who are eager to contribute to the future of energy science, sustainable synthesis, and materials recovery. The program assumes baseline knowledge and prior experience in electrochemistry. Candidates from chemistry, physics, materials research, engineering, and other electro-chemistry related fields are eligible to apply. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with leaders in electrochemical science and explore innovative solutions to critical energy challenges.
Expectations
Students are expected to bring a poster to present to colleagues and produce a white paper and a group presentation at the end of the workshop.
This workshop is being organized by Argonne’s Institutional Partnerships. Reach out to NGENE@anl.gov if you have questions.