Christina Wildfire, PhD, is an expert in microwave (mWave) technology and helped establish this capability in the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) at the Department of Energy (DOE). This area of research is on the next frontier of science and holds the promise of disruptive innovation. Wildfire leads the Center for Microwave Chemistry, now identified as one of NETL’s key lab initiatives. She understands that impactful research requires collaboration with industry stakeholders who will benefit from research that pushes the boundaries of current scientific capabilities. She has initiated 17 technology transfer partnership agreements, drove the development of new technology that led to two startups, and is currently an Oppenheimer Science & Energy Leadership Program Fellow appointee, as well as a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers winner. 

Wildfire has been a researcher at NETL since 2016 through the DOE Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. She has a deep understanding of both her research and the lab’s capabilities. For example, during an ARPA-E Summit, Wildfire met with Baker Hughes to discuss their areas of interest and technological needs and then connected them with multiple research teams at NETL. Her breadth of knowledge and keen sense of partnership opportunities, mechanisms, and processes enhance and expand NETL’s technology transfer activities. 

Wildfire has improved the DOE’s return on investment metrics by implementing structured processes and models, such as those found in translational research. For instance, she translated early-stage research into the development, demonstration, and deployment of mWave technology. She led a technical presentation on mWave technology for distributed hydrogen, which led to Cecilia Energy contacting NETL about a specific application. This outreach resulted in a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) to leverage NETL’s capabilities in the Reaction Analysis and Chemical Transformation facility and the Joule supercomputer to study and understand the economic viability of using mWave to convert waste plastics into hydrogen and carbon nanotubes. These products will provide sustainable energy and carbon materials for advanced manufacturing, and the CRADA has already spurred the filing of intellectual property (IP) and international patent applications in 56 countries and Taiwan. 

By participating in DOE’s Energy I-Corps, Wildfire has strengthened her skill and resolve to not only pursue new discoveries but also ensure that they are adopted to deliver affordable and practical energy solutions. A partnership among West Virginia University, NETL, and Malachite Technologies led to the development of a process using microwaves to lower the processing temperature and pressure for ammonia synthesis. The group has worked through significant challenges, including scaling up microwave reactors. The startup Viaduct Technologies emerged from the initial IP developed from this collaboration and licensed the technology. Within months of incorporation, Viaduct was awarded $315,000 to further develop its clean energy technology. Wildfire also leads the NETL team that was awarded $1.4 million to develop new technology for recovering and reusing plastics to create new polymer products.