Tufts Epsilon Materials Institute is an interdisciplinary initiative established with an $11.5 million sponsorship from Epsilon Group, a global leader in advanced battery materials and sustainable manufacturing. The institute brings together academic and industry leaders to accelerate discoveries in materials science and engineering, addressing some of the world's most urgent challenges in clean energy, sustainability, and the circular economy.
Drawing on the strengths of Tufts University's faculty, departments, and interdisciplinary centers, the institute is a hub of innovative research and collaboration. The institute leverages Tufts' distinctive experiential learning approach to educate tomorrow's workforce, promote knowledge creation and dissemination, and serves as a model for how to translate experimentation into real-world applications and sustainable solutions.
Epsilon Group Sponsorship
The Institute reflects the vision of Vikram Handa, E01, Managing Director of Epsilon Group and member of the School of Engineering’s Board of Advisors. Under his leadership, Epsilon has become a driving force in sustainable, high-performance battery materials and energy storage systems. As an alumnus, Handa’s support for Tufts represents both a personal and professional commitment to advancing sustainable innovation and building a robust U.S. supply chain for energy transition.
The seed of an idea for industry-academia collaboration was planted in February 2020 when Handa attended an event at Tufts in which he and other alumni spoke with students. Since then, in conversations with faculty, he realized how Tufts’ approach on materials could help achieve clean energy goals. “It became clear that the innovative research going on at the School of Engineering would be a great foundation for the institute to develop breakthrough technologies for the future," said Handa.
At its core, Tufts Epsilon Materials Institute unifies research, education, and industry collaboration to develop clean energy technologies that benefit both humanity and the health of the planet.