Press

Gene Berdichevsky is the Co-Founder & CEO of Sila. Prior to co-founding Sila, Gene was the seventh employee at Tesla Motors where he served as Principal Engineer on the Roadster battery, leading the development of the world’s first, safe, mass-produced, automotive lithium-ion battery system.

Gene holds two degrees from Stanford University; an MS in Engineering with a focus on energy and materials, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering. He has co-authored over 45 patents and academic publications. Gene has been named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list, the MIT Technology Review 35 Under 35, and was a recipient of the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans.

Dr. Gleb Yushin is a Co-Founder & CTO of Sila. He is also a Professor of Materials Science at Georgia Institute of Technology and an Editor-in-Chief for Materials Today. Gleb has co-authored over 180 peer-reviewed publications, and over 210 US and international patents and patent applications. For his contributions to the development of energy storage materials Gleb has received numerous awards and was elected to be a Fellow of multiple organizations: the International Society of Electrochemistry, the Materials Research Society, the Electrochemical Society, the EU Academy of Sciences, and the National Academy of Inventors. Gleb was also recognized as one of the world’s most influential scientific minds.

Gleb holds BS and MS degrees in Physics from Polytechnic Institute and a PhD in Materials Science from North Carolina State University.

Kara Evanoff is a Director of Account Management at Sila. She is responsible for overseeing and managing customer programs for U.S. and Asian automotive OEMS. Kara has a decade of experience in the battery materials and industrial minerals industry. She holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology with a research focus on silicon-based battery materials.

Alex is Head of Government Affairs at Sila. In this role, Alex leads Sila's global government relations and public policy initiatives. Prior to that, Alex was Senior Director at ClearPath, where he managed a broad clean energy portfolio focused on energy storage, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, and critical minerals. From 2017-2020, Alex held senior roles at the U.S. Department of Energy, including Deputy Assistant Secretary in DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). In this position, Alex led investments in a $1.1 billion portfolio of research and development (R&D) and a team of more than 120 federal staff to improve the energy security, productivity, and competitiveness of America's homes, businesses, and industries. Prior to that, Alex served as Chief of Staff to the EERE Assistant Secretary.

Dr. Min Haeberle is a Director of Strategy at Sila where she is at the forefront of driving innovation and growth in the advanced battery industry. In her role, she is responsible for guiding the expansion of Sila’s core technology offering and steering the development of a dynamic pipeline of new product categories. Dr. Haeberle possesses a unique dual background in technology and business. Prior to joining Sila, she spent 15 years at TE Connectivity, where she held diverse roles in corporate strategy, technology strategy, and product engineering with an emphasis on aligning technology and product to business success. Dr. Haeberle has a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University, and an MBA from the Wharton School.

Ernst van Nierop is a Director of Strategy at Sila. In this role he leads Strategy Development & Planning, supported by market research and competitive intelligence. Prior to Sila, Ernst was VP of Scaling at GitLab where he built teams and organizational processes to help the company scale rapidly and globally. Ernst has also held the roles of Process Engineer with Akzo Nobel and VP of Engineering at C12 Energy. Ernst has a MSc degree in Applied Physics from the University of Twente, and a Ph.D. in Engineering Sciences from Harvard University.

Ian Stewart is the Director of Product Marketing at Sila where he drives analysis and understanding of customer segments and the market to inform product development roadmaps and priorities. After receiving his Ph.D. in Chemistry from UC Berkeley, he spent 3 years at Caltech as a postdoctoral scholar. Ian then moved to ExxonMobil Chemical Company, where over the following 12 years he held a variety of roles in Research & Development, Capital Projects, Strategic Marketing, and Product Management. Ian is the author of 16 granted patents and 11 academic publications.

Weimin Wang is a Senior Staff Product Manager at Sila, where she is responsible for bringing Sila’s battery solutions to market by driving customer-focused product development. She has also held the role of Senior Staff Managing Scientist within Sila’s Battery Development function, in which she served as a technical lead for electrode development. Prior to Sila, Weimin worked at PPG Industries as a Research Chemist where she designed and formulated novel cathode enhancements for EV applications.

Passionate about the commercialization of advanced battery components, Weimin holds multiple patents, has authored and co-authored 8 peer-reviewed publications, and was recognized as one of Business Insider’s 35 Under 35: Rising Stars of the Electric-Vehicle Industry in 2022.

Weimin has a Ph.D. and a B.S. in Material Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan, and a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University.