The HERD Lab: Researching sustainable electrochemical energy and hydrogen-based systems for decarbonization
The HERD lab is directed by Dr. Luca Mastropasqua in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Our mission is to research and develop electrochemical energy and hydrogen-based systems to promote decarbonization and sustainable development. We work with partners in industry, academia, and government from around the world, and our projects range from large scale industrial systems to fundamental material science.
Research Areas
Critical Minerals Separations & Refining
Project Highlights
ARPA-E IGNIITE 2024
Mastropasqua earns ARPA-E IGNIITE 2024 award to transform waste plastic upcycling!
$10M for SOEC-DRI Demo
The HERD Lab will scale-up and demonstrate a 250 kW SOEC system to decarbonize the production of iron!
U.S. DOE HySteel Project
We study the integration of SOEC with Direct Reduction Iron systems for the production of green steel!
Featured Publications
Solar hydrogen production: Techno-economic analysis of a parabolic dish-supported high-temperature electrolysis system
L Mastropasqua, I Pecenati, A Giostri, S Campanari
Applied Energy 261, 114-392, 2020
Technical analysis of high-efficiency and flexible direct reduced iron plants integrated with high-temperature electrolysis
R. Scaccabarozzi, C. Artini, L. Mastropasqua, C. Mapelli, J. Brouwer, J.Y. Kim, H. Ghezel-Ayagh, P. Lehman, M. Jampani, N. Cavlovich, S. Campanari, M.C. Romano, M. Spinelli
Journal of Cleaner Production 489, 144681, Elsevier, 2025
Simulation-Informed Machine Learning Diagnostics of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Stack with Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy
G.T. Le, L. Mastropasqua, J. Brouwer, S.B. Adler
Journal of The Electrochemical Society 169 (3), 034530, 2022
Have you HERD?
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Zilong Zhuang Awarded ACerS Outstanding Student Researcher Award
The HERD Lab fourth year Ph.D. student Zilong Zhuang was awarded the Energy Materials and Systems Divisions’ 2026 Outstanding Student Researcher Award of the American Ceramic Society. The award was presented at…
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Luca Mastropasqua to Join Panel on Critical Minerals
Following the recent Forward in Energy Forum hosted by the Wisconsin Energy Institute, Dr. Luca Mastropasqua participated in a panel discussion titled “Critical Minerals and Energy.” Alongside other UW–Madison experts, Dr. Mastropasqua…
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HERD Lab at the ARPA-E Summit 2026
Last week, Minkyoung Park and Luca Mastropasqua participated as exhibitors at the 2026 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit, in San Diego, California. Minkyoung Park presented her updates on her Ph.D. work on electrochemical…
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Evan Jaklitsch Awarded Spring 2025 Faustin-Prinz Research Fellowship
Project: Additive Manufacturing of Ceramics Using SLA 3D Printing A major challenge in ceramic manufacturing is the difficulty of processing these inherently brittle materials. Ceramics are difficult to machine and post-process, limiting their…
