Our Team

Dr. Luca Mastropasqua is an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. He is the principal investigator of the Hydrogen and Electrochemical Research for Decarbonization (HERD) Lab.  Dr. Mastropasqua’s research focuses on the conceptualization of new electrochemical devices and their integration into energy conversion and industrial processes. His chief research goal is to use electrochemical technologies to provide power generation, grid energy storage, and decarbonize sectors such as aviation, freight, shipping, steel, and cement production via electrochemical synthesis of high-value products. Prior to joining UW-Madison, Dr. Mastropasqua was a Senior Scientist at the University of California, Irvine’s National Fuel Cell Research Center (NFCRC), and a Postdoctoral Associate at Princeton University. Dr. Mastropasqua received his PhD cum laudae from Politecnico di Milano in 2017 in Energy and Nuclear Science and Technology, one M.Sc. in Energy Engineering from Politecnico di Milano, and one in Thermal Engineering from Cranfield University.

Expertise: Solid-state electrochemical energy conversion devices

I completed my PhD in the chemical engineering department at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (India), focusing on the development of perovskite-based electrodes for the oxygen reduction reaction in solid oxide fuel cells. I am currently engaged in producing and optimizing the syngas composition through solid oxide electrolyzer cells, aimed at decarbonizing the flue gases emitted by the steel industry. Additionally, I am keen on exploring solid proton-conducting materials that operate at lower temperatures for use in solid acid fuel cells and electrolyzers.

I have an academic background in science with a focus on physics, chemistry, and materials science. I completed my bachelor’s and master’s degrees with a strong emphasis in these areas, and later earned a Ph.D. in Condensed Matter Physics from IIT Indore in July 2023. During my Ph.D., I studied the temperature-dependent delocalization of oxygen vacancies in solid electrolyte materials such as CeO₂ and RAlO₃ aluminates.

Following my Ph.D., I joined the University of South Carolina as a postdoctoral researcher in August 2023, where my work focused on developing electrochemical hydrogen separation membranes (H₂ pumps) to enhance dehydrogenation reactions in liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs), particularly the MCH-TOL system, using both solid-acid and polymer-based proton-conducting membranes.

Currently (since August 2025), I am a research associate at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, working on solid acid and oxide membranes for plastic upcycling. My research also involves advanced membrane and gyroid structure fabrication techniques, including tape casting, screen printing, and 3D printing.

Zilong is a Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. student at the HERD Lab. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Resource Recycling Science and Engineering from Hunan Normal University in 2017, and a master’s degree in Materials Science from the Changsha Research Institute of Mining and Metallurgy in 2020, where his research focused on lithium-ion batteries. He then spent half a year as a research assistant at Fudan University, working on metal-organic chemistry. From 2021 to 2023, Zilong worked as a research assistant at the Guangdong Technion–Israel Institute of Technology, continuing his research on lithium-ion batteries. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where his research focuses on protonic ceramic electrolysis cells.

Eric is a PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering at UW-Madison. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. His research focuses include system simulation of sustainable ammonia synthesis and various industrial applications of ceramic ion conductors.

Expertise: Optimization of hydrogen refuelling stations

Minkyoung is a Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. student in the HERD Lab. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering from Ewha Womans University, where she conducted simulation studies on ammonia-fueled hybrid systems combining solid oxide fuel cells and internal combustion engines. Her research focuses on solid acid electrolytes and the electrochemical depolymerization of LDPE.

Josh is a Chemical Engineering PhD student in the HERD lab. He holds bachelor’s degrees in both chemical and biological engineering from Montana State University-Bozeman. Josh’s graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have focused on utilizing solid oxide electrolyze cells to perform co-electrolysis on syngas. This research will be used to help decarbonize steel production. His research focuses on understanding the process related to co-electrolysis and improving the electrode material. Additionally, he has focused on teaching undergraduate students, earning the Ragatz award from the chemical engineering department.

Irfan is a MSc student at the HERD Lab. He holds a bachelor’s degree from UW-Madison in Mechanical Engineering with a certificate in Data Science. His focus is on computational engineering, specifically finite volume and finite element methods. He previously worked in battery thermal management simulations, tuning flow channels to maintain a threshold maximum temperature to prevent thermal runaway. Currently, he is working to simulate a multiphase reacting flow model of an electrochemical weatherization cell. His interests include novel methods to model complex problems in engineering. Additionally, his interests are in nanofabrication of novel catalysts and electrolyte matrices, such as screen printing and electrodeposition.

Expertise: Ceramic additive manufacturing

Expertise: RAMAN Spectroscopy

Expertise: Energy conversion system optimization

I graduated in Mechanical and Energy Engineering at the Univerisity of Brescia (Italy), where I presented a thesis on hydrogen production through SOEC and ORC cycles using biomass or MSW combustion. Currently, I am involved in EU and national projects and have moved my PhD research toward multi-generation power cycles.

Finding innovative pathways for sustainable energy production is essential. My PhD project focuses on investigating multi-generation systems, where thermal energy from renewable sources or industrial waste heat is used in power cycles with specific working fluids to produce not only electricity, heating, and/or cooling, but also fuels such as hydrogen or e-fuels. Here at the HERD Lab, I will focus my studies on high-temperature electrochemical converters and carbon utilization.

Visiting Ph.D. student from Politecnico di Milano (Italy)

Expertise: Solid oxide electrolysis and long-duration storage

Visiting M.Sc. student from Politecnico di Torino (Italy)

Experise: Decarbonized iron reduction

Ph.D. student visiting from Politecnico di Milano (Italy).

Expertise: Catalytic combustion of hydrogen

Visiting from Kyoto University (Japan)

Expertise: Electrochemical ammonia synthesis