Battery Buzz Podcast Talks Performance & Testing with Ryan Spray

Dr. Spray discussed Exponent's impact on battery development, performance, safety, and failure analysis

Exponent Principal Scientist Ryan Spray, Ph.D., Polymer Science & Materials Chemistry, joined Battery Buzz podcast hosts Mike Owens and Elizabeth Knazs on March 8 to discuss Exponent's impact on the world of batteries. 

In this podcast, sponsored by H.B. Fuller, "for battery professionals and by battery professionals," Dr. Spray talks about the expertise Exponent brings together to support improving the performance, reliability, and safety of battery-enabled products for clients. 

"I have a huge firm of 900-plus subject-matter experts in various fields behind me," Dr Spray explained. "We work on a lot of multidisciplinary projects, and being able to rapidly assemble a team for however big the project or problem is — that's really exciting to me." 

Additionally, the conversation focused on Dr. Spray's work, including project work advancing EV technology for the Department of Energy, his focus on developing customized testing strategies for clients, and how Exponent's deep roots in failure analysis help inform product design and development. 

"If you're trying to simulate real-world use, it's important that you know what your application is going to be and how your users are going to treat the device or the battery — and that's not always clear in the design process," Dr. Spray said. "When we get involved in those processes, because we've seen a lot of failures, we often contribute some things that [our clients] weren't thinking of." 

About Ryan Spray

Dr. Spray holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Wittenberg University and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Purdue University. During his 14-year career at Exponent, Dr. Spray has helped clients on battery issues spanning consumer electronics, medical devices, aerospace, transportation, and grid-scale energy storage for utilities.

Listen to the podcast here.

Learn more about Dr. Spray and connect with him here.