This quarter’s Research Associate Spotlight and Mentor Profile illustrates how pairing an experienced NETL researcher with an up-and-coming scientist can open new roads to discovery and facilitate faster technology development at lower cost.

Research associate Fei Xue, a participant in the NETL Post Graduate Research Program administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, explains how working with his mentor, Youhai Wen, interacting with other NETL experts and using the Lab’s Joule 2.0 supercomputer, among the most powerful in the nation, are advancing important research in the field of computational science and engineering.

Through science-based simulations, multiscale modeling and data analytics, Xue is making meaningful contributions to NETL’s efforts to analyze and predict performance of materials used in a diverse set of energy research projects while accelerating development of clean energy technologies.

For Wen, mentoring research associates such as Xue is an extraordinary experience. “It is truly exciting to watch this next generation of dedicated and talented researchers blossom and advance their careers,” he said.

NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that drives innovation and delivers technological solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. By leveraging its world-class talent and research facilities, NETL is ensuring the innovation and delivery of affordable, abundant and reliable energy that drives a robust economy and national security, while developing technologies to manage carbon across the full life cycle and enabling environmental sustainability for all Americans.