Aaron Feaver

Founder and Executive Director- CHARGE, JCDREAM

As the director of The Joint Center for Deployment and Research in Earth Abundant Materials (JCDREAM), administered through Washington State University, Aaron Feaver is working in the public research sector after successfully co-founding two clean-tech startups. His goal is to bring together researchers at WSU, UW, PNNL, and other Washington State institutions to solve the problems of disproportionate environmental and human rights impacts caused by the consumption of critical and rare-earth materials. The ultimate vision is for Washington to become a leader in this area, setting an example for exceptional collaboration between industry, academia, and government to provide a template for global solutions.

Prior to JCDREAM, Feaver’s career was centered on the synthesis and processing of high-performance carbon materials. He led the shift to engineered materials solutions for clean technology, co-founded EnerG2 and Group14, and has written and spoken extensively on nanotechnology topics. He spearheaded EnerG2’s technology development from its inception at the University of Washington labs in 2003, building it into a venture-backed business that was eventually acquired by BASF, the world’s largest chemical company. As a founder of Group14, which develops silicon-carbon composite materials for lithium-ion anodes, he remains closely involved as a key advisor.

Before focusing on nanotechnology, Feaver was a project manager and engineer within Boeing’s Design for Environment/Manufacturing initiative and Liaison Engineering. He holds a BS from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a BA from North Central College, and a PhD in Materials Science from the University of Washington.