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David Cohen-Tanugi

Senior Technology Leader | MIT PhD | Built Strategies, Teams, & Products from Seed to Series D | Climate Tech Focus

David Cohen-Tanugi is a senior technology leader and Venture Builder for Clean Energy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).12 He joined MIT's Proto Ventures, the university's venture studio, in April 2023 to create new businesses leveraging MIT technology for breakthrough impact in the clean energy and fusion sector.6

Cohen-Tanugi has a diverse background in technology development and entrepreneurship:

  1. Education: He holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering from MIT, where his doctoral research on water desalination using nanoporous graphene earned him recognition.24

  2. Entrepreneurial experience: He co-founded Embr Labs, an MIT spinout that commercialized a "personal thermostat" device.26

  3. Industry roles: Prior to his current position, he served as Head of Devices & Automation at OhmConnect and held various leadership roles at Embr Labs.6

  4. Accolades: Cohen-Tanugi has been recognized with awards such as Forbes 30 Under 30 and MIT Technology Review's Innovators Under 35 France.23

In his current role at MIT, Cohen-Tanugi is embedded in the Plasma Science and Fusion Center, collaborating with researchers across the campus to identify, build, and launch startups in the clean energy sector.25

Highlights

Jul 29 · linkedin

I’m happy to share a new article, "Understanding Key Mineral Supply Chain Dynamics Using Economics-Informed Material Flow Analysis and Bayesian Optimization". This work provides valuable insights into mineral supply chains essential for the low-carbon energy transition.

Although I'm a co-author, the real credit goes to lead author John Ryter, for his exceptional work and dedication. It was a great experience working with John and with his excellent principal investigator, Elsa Olivetti, last year.

John's study introduces an approach that uses economics-informed material flow analysis and Bayesian optimization to understand market dynamics of key mineral commodities, using widely available historical data.

If you're interested in learning more about mineral supply chains and their role in the energy transition, you can read the full article at: https://lnkd.in/euJZXNFw

#Research #MineralSupplyChains #BayesianOptimization #MaterialFlowAnalysis #LowCarbonTransition #CriticalMinerals

Jul 22 · linkedin

Many people (myself included) hold out hope that small modular reactors will enable the clean energy transition in a way that conventional nuclear hasn't.

However, recent news shows that SMRs are still proving too expensive, too slow, and too risky.

Thus, we are reminded of the prescient memo by US Admiral Hyman Rickover, which was written over 70 years ago:

"An academic reactor or reactor plant almost always has the following basic characteristics:

  • It is simple.
  • It is small.
  • It is cheap.
  • It is light.
  • It can be built very quickly.
  • It is very flexible in purpose (“omnibus reactor”)
  • Very little development is required. It will use mostly “off-the-shelf” components.
  • The reactor is in the study phase. It is not being built now.

On the other hand, a practical reactor plant can be distinguished by the following characteristics:

  • It is being built now.
  • It is behind schedule.
  • It is requiring an immense amount of development on apparently trivial items. Corrosion, in particular, is a problem.
  • It is very expensive.
  • It takes a long time to build because of the engineering development problems.
  • It is large.
  • It is heavy.
  • It is complicated."

SMRs have an opportunity to play a crucial role in the energy transition, but there are some serious hurdles to overcome if they are to avoid the fate of most nuclear reactors to date.

#nuclear #smallmodularreactors #energy

Related Questions

What are some of the clean energy startups David Cohen-Tanugi has launched?
How does Proto Ventures support the creation of new clean energy businesses?
What is the role of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center at MIT in Cohen-Tanugi's work?
Can you provide examples of technologies developed by Cohen-Tanugi at Embr Labs?
How does Cohen-Tanugi's experience as a venture builder differ from his work at startups?
David Cohen-Tanugi
David Cohen-Tanugi, photo 1
David Cohen-Tanugi, photo 2
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Somerville, Massachusetts, United States