Dr. Ritesh Kumar is an Assistant Professor at RISE, TCG CREST, working at the interface of
electro‑chemical energy, artificial intelligence (AI), computational modeling, and theory.
His research focuses on accelerating the discovery of materials for next‑generation energy
storage and conversion by combining data‑driven methods with multi‑scale simulations.
His group, the Intelligent Electro‑chemical Energy (IE²) Lab, is particularly interested in
electrolyte and electrode design for next‑generation batteries, computational studies of
electrified interfaces, and AI‑driven discovery frameworks for clean‑energy applications.
Educational Qualification
Dr. Kumar obtained his Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, where he
worked on computational and theoretical approaches to materials and energy systems. His doctoral
research laid the foundation for applying advanced computational tools to understand complex
chemical and materials phenomena.
Professional Experience
Prior to joining TCG CREST, Dr. Kumar worked as a Schmidt AI in Science Fellow (postdoc) at the
University of Chicago, where he was associated with interdisciplinary efforts combining AI,
machine learning, and computational simulations for scientific discovery, in close collaboration
with experimentalists. His work involved developing AI‑driven tools and computational models to
accelerate electrolyte discovery for next‑generation lithium metal batteries and CO2/CO
electro‑reduction.
Awards
Dr. Kumar has been awarded with multiple awards and recognitions including Eric and Wendy Schmidt
AI in Science Fellowship, awarded by Schmidt Sciences, which supports early‑career researchers
working at the intersection of AI and scientific discovery. He was also recently named as 2025
Rising Stars in Soft and Biologic Matter (awarded jointly by the University of Chicago and
University of California San Diego) and 2025 CAS Future Leader Top 100 Award (awarded by the
American Chemical Society).
Publications
For detailed information about Dr. Kumar’s publications, please visit the link below:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=GR3BoyYAAAAJ&view_op=list_works
Contact
Email:
ritesh.kumar@tcgcrest.org
Group website:
https://ritesh001.github.io/ai4en/