Elham Sahraei
Founder and COO
Elham’s primary appointment is an Associate Professor and Director of Electric Vehicle Safety (EVSL) Lab at Temple University. Elham was the co-director of the MIT Battery Modeling Consortium, a multi-sponsor industrial program supported by major automotive and battery manufacturers from 2011 till 2019. Elham worked with Eric through that program, investigating various factors leading to failure and degradation of lithium-ion batteries. They joined forces in 2021 to use the knowledge gained from many years of research and cell making and develop impact tolerant, reliable, long cycle life and high performance batteries for Eleri. Dr. Sahraei earned her Ph.D. from the George Washington University in 2011 and completed two years of post-doctoral training at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2013, where she became a Research Scientist afterwards. Her ongoing research at Temple on safety of lithium-ion batteries under combined mechanical-electrical loading. She develops experimental and computational methods to characterize and enhance safety of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. Her most recent work has been sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, PA Manufacturing and Innovation program, as well as Fiat-Chrysler Corporation. Elham is a well published and highly cited author and invited speaker of various battery safety related journals and conferences.
Eric Carlson
Co-founder and CEO
Eric Carlson has over 45 years of industrial experience in batteries, fuel cells, and electrochemical systems. In 2021 he joined forces with Professor Elham Sahraei to start Eleri llc. In 2018 Mr Carlson was one of the founders and initial CTO of Volta Energy Products. He led a team which established a battery test facility, developed cell supplier relationships, and a cell development strategy. Prior to that, Eric was a Senior Fellow for Boston Power Inc. He led an advanced engineering team that focused on development of innovative module concepts, model-based BMS algorithms, and cell models for Li-ion based systems. He was responsible for relationships with MIT and NASA. Furthermore, he has extensive experience in the field from his work at Eveready R&D, General Electric Corporate R&D, and Arthur D. Little. He brings an integrated perspective to technology development and team leadership that encompasses R&D, Engineering, Manufacturing, and Technical Marketing/Sales. Mr. Carlson earned his BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Rochester; and his MS in Electrochemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
Joanna Turteltaub
Cell Development Advisor
Joanna has joined Eleri as a Senior Advisor for Lithium-ion cell technology. Her primary appointment is the CTO at Nanoscale Components Inc. She brings with her 15 years’ experience in the Lithium-ion battery field with a focus on next generation materials, formulation of cell chemistries, battery manufacturing, new product development, strategic planning, and advanced technology commercialization. Her prior experience includes, Director of Materials R&D at Boston Power Inc. Joanna has a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Brown University.
Brian Heller
Contract Advisor
Brian Heller is a tech lawyer with over 20 years of experience in law, business development, and corporate development. His legal experience includes work for an entrepreneurial virtual law firm, and for top law firms such as Shearman & Sterling in NYC, and Akin Gump in DC. His tech and startup experience includes work for internet and digital media companies and private equity owned startups. Brian has an MBA from the University of Michigan and a JD from Boston University, where he graduated cum laude in the top 10% of his class.”
Taylor Durham
Marketing Advisor
Taylor’s primary appointment is the Associate Director of Communication at UPenn Wharton School Entrepreneurship team. He advises Eleri on marketing strategies. In his previous roles, Taylor assisted in the redesign of the City of Pittsburgh’s Cable. He also worked briefly at iHeartMedia on-air and digital ad campaigns that targeted a metro area population of 1.2 million people. He is currently the Director of Marketing & Digital Studios for Venture Lab, the newest entrepreneurship center at the University of Pennsylvania and oversees the Digital Design Studio and Digital Media Lab. To date, the studios have helped more than 70 ventures with photography, videography, web design, branding, brand strategy, digital marketing, and marketing analytics. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Television/Video Production and a Master of Science in Education from Robert Morris University.
Mildred Hastbacka
IP/Licensing Advisor
Mildred is the Founder and Managing Member of Prakteka LLC a consulting firm focused on technology/business interface issues. She has successful and diverse managerial and P&L experience in both public and privately held companies, including a Fortune 100 manufacturing and marketing company, a global professional services firm, and a technology development start-up company. Focused on strategic and tactical use of IP for commercial development and monetization, she has consulted for Fortune 50 companies, private equity firms, and corporate venture capital funds. Mildred has a PhD in Chemistry from Brown University, a Masters in Valuation of Tangibles from Northeastern University, and a BS in Chemistry from MIT. She advises Eleri on IP and Licensing decisions.
Eleri LLC 