Tackling Energy Sector Challenges by Intersecting Materials, Manufacturing, and Systems
MIE Department Seminar
April 7, 2026
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM America/Chicago
Presenter: Saniya LeBlanc, PhD, The George Washington University
Location: ERF 1043
Abstract: Tackling the energy sector’s pressing technological and workforce needs requires a multi-pronged approach. I will discuss our research at the intersection of energy conversion materials and additive manufacturing as well as large-scale energy systems with integrated renewable power and storage. First, I will focus on thermoelectric power generators that convert waste heat into electricity; additive manufacturing could enable new architectures, material-to-device integration, and large-area processing. I will describe our progress in laser-based additive manufacturing of thermoelectric materials and discuss the link between materials, manufacturing, and system-level considerations for thermoelectric generators. Aspects of this work connect to our focus on materials in extreme conditions as well as technology commercialization for our thermoelectric heat exchanger innovation. Second, I will highlight our work in multi-technology energy systems where we simulate multi-building systems with combined heat and power, renewable generation, and electricity and thermal storage. In a recent project, we extend this work to Navy ships to provide insights about the impact of new energy resources and systems on ship performance metrics.
Speaker Bio: Dr. Saniya LeBlanc is a professor in the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at The George Washington University. She previously served as the School of Engineering and Applied Science’s director of the Energy Innovation Research Initiative where she built research and engagement capacity in three themes: multiscale materials for energy, the next generation energy network, and energy as an equity enabler. LeBlanc’s own research aims to create energy conversion technologies using advanced materials and manufacturing techniques as well as design multi-technology energy systems for decarbonization and performance improvements. She has industry and academic research experience in designing new materials, characterizing transport properties, linking processing mechanisms to transport properties, and analyzing technoeconomic impacts of new energy technologies. Prior to joining GWU, she was a research scientist at a startup company where she created research, development, and manufacturing characterization solutions for thermoelectric technologies and evaluated the potential of new power generation materials. Previously, she was a math and physics teacher at a multicultural high school in the D.C. public school system through Teach for America.
In 2025, LeBlanc received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers – the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers early in their careers. LeBlanc is a recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER award, and, in 2018, the American Society of Engineering Education named LeBlanc one of its “20 Under 40” high-achieving researchers and educators. At The George Washington University, she received the GWU Morton A. Bender teaching award as the only junior engineering professor to ever win the university-wide award. LeBlanc obtained an MS and a PhD in mechanical engineering with a minor in materials science at Stanford University. She was a Churchill Scholar at University of Cambridge where she received an MPhil in engineering, and she has a BS in mechanical engineering with a minor in French from Georgia Institute of Technology.
Date posted
Mar 17, 2026
Date updated
Mar 17, 2026