Vikram Handa, Sunil Kumar Drive $11.5M Clean Energy Research Hub At Tufts

India-West News Desk

MEDFORD, MA– Two Indian American leaders, entrepreneur Vikram Handa and academic Sunil Kumar, are at the forefront of a major new initiative aimed at transforming the future of sustainable energy. Tufts University and Epsilon, a leading advanced materials company, have launched the Tufts Epsilon Materials Institute, a cutting-edge research hub focused on developing innovative battery materials and energy storage technologies.

Backed by a $11.5 million sponsorship from Epsilon, the institute will be housed within Tufts’ School of Engineering and will serve as a nexus of interdisciplinary collaboration, connecting researchers across departments — including the Tufts Institute for Artificial Intelligence — with real-world industry applications.

Vikram Handa, Managing Director of Epsilon and a proud Tufts alumnus, described the partnership as both personal and strategic. “This institute represents our commitment to building a sustainable future — not just through research, but through action,” said Handa. “Our recent investment in a graphite anode facility in North Carolina complements the institute’s focus on securing a domestic, sustainable supply chain for high-performance battery materials.”

Tufts University President Sunil Kumar, the institution’s first Indian American president, praised the partnership as a landmark moment for the university’s mission. “At Tufts, we believe that research must serve humanity,” Kumar said. “This collaboration with Epsilon brings academic rigor together with industrial impact, enabling us to accelerate clean energy innovation that meets urgent global challenges.”

The institute’s work will focus on critical areas such as solid-state batteries, next-generation energy storage, and sustainable material sourcing. It will also create three new faculty positions within the School of Engineering and fund seed projects aimed at fostering long-term academic-industry collaborations.