Leveraging Rice Research for Climate Tech Innovation feat. Haotian Wang and Bryan Guido Hassin

Refining raw material into metals is both the core of many industries, and also a very tricky process to balance in an age where carbon neutrality is increasingly the goal. What are new ways that can affect this process to better both the environmental impacts and also align with the profit and growth goals of the companies doing the work themselves? Haotian Wang is an associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Rice. Bryan Guido Hassin is an entrepreneur and the CEO of Dexmat, a Rice spinout. David, Haotian, and Bryan discuss how Rice research is propelling commercial and business innovation, particularly in mitigating carbon emissions. Exploring their educational backgrounds and career trajectories, David asks Brian and Haotian about their groundbreaking work in sustainable energy solutions and carbon-negative materials. They elaborate on their entrepreneurial journeys, the challenges they face in commercializing research, and the unique advantages Rice University and Houston offer for energy and sustainability research. The conversation concludes with a discussion on aligning profit and impact in climate tech ventures. Let us know you’re listening by filling out this form. We will be sending listeners Beyond the Hedges Swag every month. Beyond The Hedges is a production of Rice University and is produced by University FM.