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Time: Friday, October 9, 2026, 6:30 - 9:00 PM (Beijing)
Location: Columbia Global Center Beijing, Unit CD1, Floor 5, Tower B, Gateway Plaza, No. 18 Xiaguangli, Chaoyang District
Language: English
Join Columbia Climate School, co-hosted by the Columbia Global Center Beijing, for an in-person preview of our graduate programs and a timely conversation about the technologies driving the clean energy transition.
The evening will feature a talk by professor Yan Yao, “What It Takes to Build a Better Battery.” Batteries play a critical role in driving the energy transition — for the grid, for transportation, and now for the electricity demands of AI. Professor Yan Yao will present a materials scientist's view on how progress in this field happens, from the atomic-scale problems his lab tackles in solid-state and sodium-ion chemistries to the system-level questions of cost, supply chain, and deployment at scale. He will close with what it takes to build a career at this intersection, and the pathways available to students through the Columbia Climate School.
The program will also include an overview of the Climate School’s graduate degree programs, followed by a reception where prospective students can connect with Professor Yao.
For those unable to attend in person in Beijing, a live virtual (hybrid) participation option will be available for the presentation and graduate program overview.
Agenda
6:30 - 7 p.m. Registration
7 - 7:30 p.m. Professor Yan Yao: What It Takes to Build a Better Battery
7:30 - 8 p.m. Columbia Climate School Graduate Program Overview
8 - 9 p.m. Reception with Professor Yao
