How did you first learn about Form Energy? 

I found out about Form Energy when it was a very young company and was still called Baseload Renewables. I was working as an Advisor to Prime Coalition, an early-stage impact investor, and Baseload Renewables pitched us. I knew Marco Ferrara, Form’s Co-Founder and Senior Vice President of Business Development and Analytics, through his work with 24M, so we began meeting occasionally thereafter.

What made you want to work at Form Energy?

The potential for impact. I spent years at MIT modeling the electric grid and built a strong appreciation for the need for a technology like Form’s to cost effectively decarbonize the grid. Further, joining the Business Development and Analytics team at Form presented a unique opportunity to build a team at the intersection of software, product, and business development.

What are your job duties & responsibilities at Form Energy?

I have built and currently lead Form Energy’s Analytics team, within the broader Business Development and Analytics organization. The Analytics team is responsible for developing and delivering the market and project modeling and data science that powers Form’s commercial, strategy, battery product management, and policy and regulatory affairs activities. We also house product management for the software suite that powers this analytics (namely, FormwareTM).

Walk us through a typical work day:

On any given day I’m working with folks on our excellent Analytics team and other teams at Form to: 1) prepare information for customer engagement, 2) think through how to test the impact of Form’s product evolution in our analytics suite, 3) research how best to show the value of our iron air batteries to the market, and 4) recruit great people to come help us deliver on our mission of creating a better world through the use of multi-day energy storage!

​​In general, what do you look for when hiring new team members? 

I’m a huge proponent of intellectual curiosity and flexibility. At Form we’re fortunate to have excellent software engineers that can automate the routine and mundane. The Analytics team’s job is to continuously push the limits of what’s possible and think of new ways to understand and communicate our value. I also look for people who are going to be motivated by the kind of work we do – a blend of technical analytics, commercial and product strategy, and policy analysis. The first question I usually ask people is what gets you excited to go to work every day?

What aspect of your role do you enjoy the most?

Forming meaningful relationships with my colleagues and our customers while doing something really, really rewarding: commercializing new, game changing technology.

What is the most important thing you have learned in your role thus far?

Hmm… where to start?! While I worked for a number of years before and during my PhD, I was in academia immediately before working at Form. In academia, being as correct and detailed as possible is the highest priority, regardless of how long it takes to get to your end product. Further, there’s a lot of emphasis on individual contribution. At Form, I’ve had to learn how to make smart decisions while working within a broader, complex organization to deliver on results in a timely manner.

How would you describe your time at Form Energy in three words?

Challenging, rewarding, ambitious.

What about working in the energy storage industry excites you the most?

We’re at the early stages of growth in the storage industry. The industry is going to grow 100x over the coming decades.

What kinds of hobbies and interests do you have outside of work?

Training for a marathon, hiking and enjoying the outdoors, and reading.

What book did you last read?

“The Making of the Atomic Bomb” by Richard Rhodes. The book is both a fascinating history of science and innovation and an exploration of the psychology of certain key individuals in an incredibly brutal period in human history.