- +1 812 863 2424
- info@bicindiana.com
- 7970 S. Energy Drive, Newberry IN 47449
Les Alexander, brings financial, operations, and business development experience to the Battery Innovation Center. Over the last thirty plus years, Les has held executive positions at Navitas Systems (VP Research and Development and Government Business Development), Inmatech (CEO) (Supercapacitor start up), A123 Systems (GM Government Business), and T/J Technologies (COO). He has developed an expertise with energy storage startups and mid-size companies, strategically focused on growing R&D, and product development opportunities for the U.S Military and commercial markets.
Alexander is a retired Lieutenant Commander as U.S. Naval Supply Corps Officer who served in the Persian Gulf War. He has managed large military budgets and programs for aircraft carriers and military bases. He is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, with a B.A. in Economics, and he holds a Master’s degree from the Naval Postgraduate School in Government Acquisitions.
Teresa is the Office Coordinator and provides hospitality for the BIC. She brings with her 20+ years of experience in office management. Teresa greets visitors and employees with a huge smile, a song, or a dance, along with a fresh cup of coffee, and is the go-to person for all your needs while on-site. Teresa is key to BIC communications working with correspondence, billing, ordering supplies, and other vital administrative roles.
Teresa schedules tours of the BIC, logistics for classes, and travel arrangements for conferences. Always willing to help and provides team support wherever it is needed.
She is a member of Mt. Pleasant Christian Church where she serves on the greeting and security teams. A member of Theta Alpha Gamma Phi Beta Psi Sorority supporting local residents with their cancer patient journey. She assists with her family’s catering business and also loves, and enjoys, spending time with family and friends. Her hobbies include reading, horseback riding, running, working out at the gym, vegetable gardening in the summertime, camping, and fishing.
Tyson Craig is the Lead Cell Fabrication Technician at the Battery Innovation Center. He joined the BIC in May of 2014 after graduating from Vincennes University with an Associates in Electronics Technology. Tyson’s skill set includes cell design, cell fabrication, and hardware design and layout for all 18650’s, pouch and coin cell testing.
Jonathan Pace is the lead technician for the Test and Evaluation Team. Taking concrete actions to advance both personally and professionally, Jonathan is currently working towards finishing his Associate’s Degree in Electronics Technology at Vincennes University.
Jonathan spent 7 years in the United States Army as an Artillery Cannon Crewmember. Serving 2 tours overseas, he continually leverages the skills gained with artillery equipment, which translate to a great precision with test set-ups and evaluating batteries through the data recorded during test. His growth mindset creates a natural tendency to strive to pursue any knowledge he can get his hands on when it relates to his work.
In addition to gaining academic experience, Jonathan spends a substantial portion of his time outside of the BIC chasing mechanical problems and diagnoses with vehicles and tends to use those same techniques in his day to day operations at the BIC.
Jayleen is an HR Specialist for the BIC. She has worked in the Human Resources and Benefits field for over 20 years. Starting in the Human Resources field as a Payroll Specialist then moving into HR Management, enhancing her skills and gaining experience along the way.
Joshua comes to the BIC with a broad skill set, 20+ years of Facilities Operations experience, and 4+ years of Solid-State Battery Research and Development experience.
Joshua is a local Indiana resident and was introduced to energy storage technologies while taking electronics classes through Vincennes University hosted by the BIC.
His personal time is spent enjoying family, friends, and hobbies which include amateur radio, astronomy, biking, camping, and fishing.
Erika is a Data Programmer and provides IT support for the BIC. She graduated from Ball State University in 2023 with degrees in Applied Mathematics and Data Analytics. Erika is passionate about Big Data analytics and manipulation, and she continues to enhance her programming/analytical skills at the BIC.
Alex Serov is battery technology, data-driven sensor collection, and integration electrical engineering manager.
His undergraduate degree was an introduction to renewable energy power systems and batteries, with classes in motors, hybrid electric vehicles, integrating energy farms, and solar panels. Alex tended to gravitate towards system integration and energy storage, which led to battery technology becoming his master’s focus.
Alex’s research work has been a dive into hardware-software integration and machine learning applications for battery data. Also fortunate to have managed a battery-based project and the team running it as a research assistant within Interfacial Multiphysics Laboratory (IML). His focus was on leading and mentoring the team for a formalized Navy-backed research project improving battery management system (BMS) safety and performance with deep learning implementation. Through this work, Alex built a passion for microcontrollers, system integration, data science, machine / deep learning, and battery tech.
Alex consistently motivates both himself and those around him to achieve exceptional outcomes, whether it be in outdoor activities or within the workplace. His experience is being leveraged as the Test & Evaluation Manager at the Battery Innovation Center (BIC). Every day at the BIC, Alex is involved in a variety of battery test and custom engineering problems, and keep skills sharp and share knowledge on safety, operation, and test plans for today’s cutting edge battery technology to our clients.
Dr. Amol Chandekar is the Advanced Battery Development Researcher & Team Lead. Dr. Chandekar earned his PhD in chemistry from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell where he also completed Post Doctoral Fellowship. Dr. Chandekar has published 14 papers, many of which focus on nano-scale patterning of materials. Additionally, he possesses 17 patents, both issued and pending, in the United States and internationally in the field of renewable energy. Dr. Chandekar brings several years of expertise in materials science and electrochemistry and has successfully developed numerous products and processes in these domains. Additionally, Dr. Chandekar has pioneered green hydrogen technology through the development of an exceptionally efficient photoanode for the process of photoelectrolysis in water. He joined BIC in February 2024 and is currently leading a dynamic team from Advanced Battery Development group.
Dennis Kountz joined the Battery Innovation Center of Indiana (BIC) in December 2024 as a Technical Fellow and Director of Education and Workforce Training. He brings a wealth of experience in materials science, energy technologies, and open innovation.
Dr. Kountz holds an AB in Physics & Chemistry from Wittenberg University, an MS and PhD in Physical Chemistry from The Ohio State University, and an MBA from Pfeiffer University. His career began at DuPont, where he spent 31 years in various technical, marketing, and management roles across fibers & composites, high-temperature superconductivity, and fuel cell businesses. During this time, he also served as a visiting scientist at Carolinas Medical Center and led the team that won the 2008 U.S. DoD Wearable Power Prize.
In 2015, he joined Chemours, continuing his focus on fluoropolymer materials and codes & standards development for communications, semiconductor, and energy applications. He led the open innovation process for Chemours’ battery efforts within its Electric Vehicle Venture, securing $5 million in US Army funding for a battery cell capacity and safety improvement project launched in 2024. Dr. Kountz is a recognized subject matter expert on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and actively contributes to international standards bodies.
Brad Spicer is a lab technician for the Advanced Battery Development Team. Brad received his BS in Biochemistry from Purdue University and MS from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He brings to the BIC 6+ years of wet lab experience across several fields including environmental chemistry and bacteriology. He also brings electrical experience through his 9 years as an electrician in the United States Marine Corps (4 years active, 5 years reserve). This variety of experience allows him to be adaptable as project needs change throughout the development process.
Dr. Milinda Bharatha is a Material Scientist in Advanced Battery Development team at the BIC. With a PhD and MSc in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Louisville, he brings 4+ years of experience in solid-state LiS battery development, including material synthesis, characterization, electrode fabrication, and cell assembly and testing. His additional experience encompasses CdS thin film for solar cell applications, operation of PECVD system for semiconductor application, Nano material synthesis and characterization for energy storage applications.
Dr. Jin Sik Lee is a senior scientist in advanced battery development at the Battery
Innovation Center. With over 23 years of expertise in lithium battery development, Jin
has held executive roles at BrightVolt (as VP of Battery Development, specializing in
Solid State Battery technology), Ener1 (serving as CTO at both EnerDel and EnerTech,
focused on lithium battery and pack development), and Vitzrocell (as R&D Director,
concentrating on Lithium Primary Cell development). Additionally, Jin has authored 23
research papers and holds 10 patents.
Mr. McCoy brings extensive expertise in battery testing and certification, with a proven record of successfully completing standards validation for key industry certifications, including UN 38.3, IEC 62133, and UL 1973. In this role as Test and Evaluation Manager at BIC, he oversees rigorous testing protocols and ensures compliance with a wide range of industry standards to support cutting-edge energy storage solutions.
Mr. McCoy holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Louisiana Tech University. His knowledge and experience play a critical role in advancing BIC’s mission to drive innovation and reliability in battery and energy storage technologies.
