Pradeep Samarasekere

About Pradeep Samarasekere

Multi-faceted Research Scientist with high-level research and broad technical experience in development of materials and processes for renewable and sustainable energy applications.Expertise and experienced in lanthanides and first-raw transition metal chemistry, wet and solid–state chemical synthesis, material design and testing of advanced organic-inorganic hybrid materials, functionalization and tailoring properties for industrial applications.Inventor of a nationally recognized and award winning clean energy technology to recycle rare earth metals, led the way in establishing the startup company REEcycle Inc.Strong background with impressive hands-on knowledge base and experience in various characterization techniques to study structure-property relationships of materials and state-of-art characterization equipment and methods.Skilled in XRD, FTIR/IR, UV-Vis-NIR, TGA, DSC, Microscopy (SEM/EDX, PL, Optical), Physical Property Measurement Systems (Magnetic, Dielectric).

Experience

1. Chief Technology Officer and Lead Scientist

   REEcycle

   Jan 2015 — Present · Houston, TX, US

   Co-inventor and the Patent holder of the REEcycle\'s Rare-earth reclamation technology.• Principal Investigator and co-author of $750K NSF SBIR Phase II Grant and ​$150K NSF SBIR Phase I Grant:\"Sustainable Rare Earth Element Recycling from Neodymium Magnets\"​REEcycle Inc, a startup company with the focus on reclamation of rare earth metals from consumer electronics and industrial wastes using proprietary chemical processes. The processes use combinations of wet chemical and solid state techniques and recover metals as pure, reusable rare earth oxides. REEcycle creates mutually beneficial partnerships by providing a profitable & reliable revenue stream in exchange for a steady supply of rare earth products such as NdFeB magnets. By replenishing the resources locked within these materials, REEcycle provides a sustainable, secure, and less expensive supply of critical rare earth elements for U.S. based customers, ranging from REE wholesalers to government stockpiling agencies.As lead scientist, • Lead and oversee all of REEcycle’s technical operations.• Independently establish experimental and process plans.• Manage pertinent lab equipment and data analysis.• Commissioning of new lab and pilot plant process equipment and software.• Maintain lab supplies and chemical inventory.• Provide technical expertise to management.• Keep current in pertinent research publications and competitive processes.REEcycle\'s Awards: • Edison Award, USA – Best New Product Award in Energy Sustainability™ - 2017 – Gold• U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Clean Energy Business Plan Competition (2014 July)– Grand Prize, Investor’s Choice Award and People’s Choice Award • Caltech First Look West (FLoW) – National Cleantech Business Plan Competition (2014 May)U.S. DOE – Western Region - Grand Prize

Education

• University of Colombo

  Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.), Computational Chemistry

  2004 — 2008

• University of Houston

  Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Chemistry

  2009 — 2014

Skills

• Materials Science
• Ftir
• Solid State Characterization
• Rare Earths
• Uv-Vis-Nir
• Thermal Analysis
• Microscopy
• Wet and Solid State Chemical Synthesis
• Photoluminescence
• Tga
• Sem
• Optical Microscopy
• Inorganic Chemistry
• Characterization
• Dielectrics
• Magnetics
• Oil & Gas Industry
• X-Ray Crystallography
• Differential Scanning Calorimetry
• Edx
• Recycling
• Powder X-Ray Diffraction
• Chemistry
• Hplc
• Molecular Modeling