Arumugam Manthiram
Principal Advisor and Co-Founder
Arumugam Manthiram co-founded ActaCell in 2007 with Bill Ott to commercialize novel materials developed in his laboratory for high power lithium-ion batteries. As a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Manthiram directs a large, productive research group in electrochemical energy technologies with about 25 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers.
His current research focuses on lithium-ion batteries, fuel cells, solar cells, and supercapacitors. Specifically, his group is engaged in developing new low-cost, efficient materials for these clean energy technologies, novel chemical synthesis and processing approaches for nanomaterials, and a fundamental understanding of their structure-property-performance relationships.
Dr. Manthiram obtained his PhD in Solid State Chemistry from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras and received his MS and BS from Madurai University, India. Dr. Manthiram joined the University of Texas at Austin in 1986 and currently holds the Joe C. Walter Chair in Engineering and the Jack S. Josey Professorship in Energy Studies at the Materials Science and Engineering Program and Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Dr. Manthiram has given at least 160 presentations, authored more than 370 publications, edited 5 books, and has been awarded 5 patents with an additional 9 patent applications currently pending.
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Donald L. Runkle
Donald L. Runkle is a recognized business leader and product/process innovator. He has led divisional profit turnarounds, international acquisitions and divestitures, created new business channels, and co-led a large IPO. Runkle is CEO of EcoMotors International and Chairman of privately held EaglePicher Corporation. He is an operating executive for Tennenbaum Capital Partners advising on potential investments, a board member of Environmental Systems Holdings, WinCup Corporation, Lean Enterprise Institute, and the MIT Sloan NA Executive board, and an advisor to ActaCell. In addition to his formal positions, he has consulted on various topics including lean implementation, electronics, fuel cells, energy storage, electric vehicles and business strategy.
Prior to these most recent endeavors, Runkle was Vice-Chairman of Delphi Corporation where he was the senior executive. Runkle began his career as a co-op student at Eastman Kodak and Ford Motor Company. Following graduation, he joined General Motors, where he held a variety of assignments, including chief engineer of Chevrolet, chief engineer of powertrain and racing at the Buick Division, director of Advanced Vehicle Engineering, vice president of GM’s Advanced Engineering Staff and vice president of GM’s North American Engineering Center.
Runkle has a bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Michigan in mechanical engineering. He was also a Sloan Fellow, receiving his master’s degree in management science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has published numerous articles and holds a patent.
Runkle is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers and the Tau Beta Pi and Pi Tau Sigma Engineering Honorary Societies; a life member of the Shingo Academy; a recipient of the Wu Manufacturing Leadership Award and the ASM Medal for the Advancement of Research. Runkle co-founded with the Department of Energy, the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC).
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