Industrial Decarbonization

Transforming Heavy Industry for a Low-Carbon Future

January 8, 2026
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EST
Industrial Decarbonization

Location

Zoom Webinar


Webinar Recordings:

Recordings will be available exclusively to ILP members. To learn more about becoming a member, click here.


Overview

Industrial sectors such as steelmaking, synthetic fuel production, and critical mineral processing form the backbone of the global economy—but they also account for a significant share of greenhouse gas emissions. Decarbonizing these hard-to-abate industries is one of the greatest technological and policy challenges of our time. This webinar brings together leading researchers and industry practitioners to explore concrete pathways toward deep industrial decarbonization and to discuss how innovation, investment, and international cooperation on policy can accelerate the transition to a low-carbon industrial base of the future.


Registration Fee: 
   ILP Member: Complimentary
   General Public: $250
   Current MIT Faculty/Staff/Student: Complimentary

  • Overview

    Industrial sectors such as steelmaking, synthetic fuel production, and critical mineral processing form the backbone of the global economy—but they also account for a significant share of greenhouse gas emissions. Decarbonizing these hard-to-abate industries is one of the greatest technological and policy challenges of our time. This webinar brings together leading researchers and industry practitioners to explore concrete pathways toward deep industrial decarbonization and to discuss how innovation, investment, and international cooperation on policy can accelerate the transition to a low-carbon industrial base of the future.


    Registration Fee: 
       ILP Member: Complimentary
       General Public: $250
       Current MIT Faculty/Staff/Student: Complimentary


Agenda

12:00 PM

Welcome and Introductions
Program Director, MIT Industrial Liaison Program
Corey Cheng
Program Director

Dr. Corey Cheng joined the Office of Corporate Relations (OCR) as an Senior Industrial Liaison Officer in December 2011. He has broad interests in science and technology, and uses his technical research experience to better serve ILP members in Asia and the United States.

Cheng spent six years in industrial research at Dolby Laboratories, San Francisco, where he contributed to sound compression (Dolby Digital, AAC, MP3), wireless networking, fingerprinting, and spatial/“3-D audio” technologies. Later, he was Associate Professor and Director of the undergraduate and graduate programs in music engineering technology at the University of Miami, Florida, where he also held a dual appointment in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Cheng holds various U.S. and international patents, has published technical papers, and has presented at various conferences. His technical work includes collaborations and consulting work with the U.S. Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory, Fujitsu-Ten USA, Starkey Laboratories, America Online, and the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). Cheng was an IEEE Distinguished Lecturer for the Circuits and Systems Society from 2009-2010, and was a Westinghouse (Intel) Science Talent Search national finalist many years ago.

Cheng holds degrees in Electrical Engineering (Ph.D., M.S.E. University of Michigan), Electro-Acoustic Music (M.A. Dartmouth College), and physics (B.A. Harvard University).

Personally, Dr. Cheng is an American Born Chinese (ABC), serves as his family’s genealogist, and traces his roots back to Toi San, Guang Dong Province and Xing Hua, Jiang Su Province, China. He also has a background in music, and his electro-acoustic compositions have been presented at various U.S. and international venues.

12:03 PM

Recent reports: Decarbonizing the steel industry; Decarbonizing aviation in Latin America
Sergey Paltsev

Dr. Sergey Paltsev is a Deputy Director of the MIT Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy and a Senior Research Scientist at the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, USA.

He is the lead modeler in charge of the MIT Economic Projection and Policy Analysis (EPPA) model of the world economy. His research covers a wide range of topics, including energy economics, climate policy, taxation, advanced energy technologies, and international trade. Sergey is an Advisory Board Member for the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) Consortium and a Member of the Scientific Steering Committee for the Integrated Assessment Modeling Consortium (IAMC). Dr. Paltsev is an author of more than 140 peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals and books.

Sergey Paltsev is a recipient of the 2012 Pyke Johnson Award (by the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, USA, for the best paper in the area of planning and environment), the Best Policy Analysis Paper of 2012 by Environmental Science and Technology Journal of the American Chemical Society and the Best 2004 Research Award by Tokyo Electric Power Company, Japan. Sergey was a Lead Author of the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Earlier at MIT, Dr. Paltsev was a Director of the Energy-at-Scale Center and a Deputy Director of the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change, which, together with the MIT Center for Global Change Science, was succeeded by the MIT Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy to produce leading-edge research to help guide societal transitions toward a more sustainable future. 

Before joining MIT in 2002, Sergey Paltsev worked as a Consultant for International Management and Communication Corporation and The World Bank, and as an Executive Director of the Program in Economics and Management of Technology at Belarusian State University. He received a Diploma in Radiophysics and Electronics from Belarusian State University and a PhD in Economics from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

12:30 PM

Critical Minerals for Energy Development: The Battery Supply Chain

Managing Director and Strategy Lead for Critical Materials, Azimuth Capital Management

Kathy Woody

Managing Director and Strategy Lead for Critical Materials, Azimuth Capital Management

Dr. Kathy Woody has recently joined Azimuth Capital Management as Managing Director and Strategy Lead for Critical Minerals. Before joining Azimuth, Dr. Woody served as Principal Advisor of Energy Technology at Hess Corporation, leading large scale initiatives implementing energy transition and emissions reduction technologies. She also previously served as Director of Energy Technology at Phillips 66, leading projects across energy technology and battery materials development. Dr. Woody holds a PhD in Chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology and has over 40 patents and numerous technical publications.

12:57 PM

Closing Remarks
Program Director, MIT Industrial Liaison Program
Corey Cheng
Program Director

Dr. Corey Cheng joined the Office of Corporate Relations (OCR) as an Senior Industrial Liaison Officer in December 2011. He has broad interests in science and technology, and uses his technical research experience to better serve ILP members in Asia and the United States.

Cheng spent six years in industrial research at Dolby Laboratories, San Francisco, where he contributed to sound compression (Dolby Digital, AAC, MP3), wireless networking, fingerprinting, and spatial/“3-D audio” technologies. Later, he was Associate Professor and Director of the undergraduate and graduate programs in music engineering technology at the University of Miami, Florida, where he also held a dual appointment in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Cheng holds various U.S. and international patents, has published technical papers, and has presented at various conferences. His technical work includes collaborations and consulting work with the U.S. Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory, Fujitsu-Ten USA, Starkey Laboratories, America Online, and the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). Cheng was an IEEE Distinguished Lecturer for the Circuits and Systems Society from 2009-2010, and was a Westinghouse (Intel) Science Talent Search national finalist many years ago.

Cheng holds degrees in Electrical Engineering (Ph.D., M.S.E. University of Michigan), Electro-Acoustic Music (M.A. Dartmouth College), and physics (B.A. Harvard University).

Personally, Dr. Cheng is an American Born Chinese (ABC), serves as his family’s genealogist, and traces his roots back to Toi San, Guang Dong Province and Xing Hua, Jiang Su Province, China. He also has a background in music, and his electro-acoustic compositions have been presented at various U.S. and international venues.

  • Agenda
    12:00 PM

    Welcome and Introductions
    Program Director, MIT Industrial Liaison Program
    Corey Cheng
    Program Director

    Dr. Corey Cheng joined the Office of Corporate Relations (OCR) as an Senior Industrial Liaison Officer in December 2011. He has broad interests in science and technology, and uses his technical research experience to better serve ILP members in Asia and the United States.

    Cheng spent six years in industrial research at Dolby Laboratories, San Francisco, where he contributed to sound compression (Dolby Digital, AAC, MP3), wireless networking, fingerprinting, and spatial/“3-D audio” technologies. Later, he was Associate Professor and Director of the undergraduate and graduate programs in music engineering technology at the University of Miami, Florida, where he also held a dual appointment in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Cheng holds various U.S. and international patents, has published technical papers, and has presented at various conferences. His technical work includes collaborations and consulting work with the U.S. Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory, Fujitsu-Ten USA, Starkey Laboratories, America Online, and the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). Cheng was an IEEE Distinguished Lecturer for the Circuits and Systems Society from 2009-2010, and was a Westinghouse (Intel) Science Talent Search national finalist many years ago.

    Cheng holds degrees in Electrical Engineering (Ph.D., M.S.E. University of Michigan), Electro-Acoustic Music (M.A. Dartmouth College), and physics (B.A. Harvard University).

    Personally, Dr. Cheng is an American Born Chinese (ABC), serves as his family’s genealogist, and traces his roots back to Toi San, Guang Dong Province and Xing Hua, Jiang Su Province, China. He also has a background in music, and his electro-acoustic compositions have been presented at various U.S. and international venues.

    12:03 PM

    Recent reports: Decarbonizing the steel industry; Decarbonizing aviation in Latin America
    Sergey Paltsev

    Dr. Sergey Paltsev is a Deputy Director of the MIT Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy and a Senior Research Scientist at the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, USA.

    He is the lead modeler in charge of the MIT Economic Projection and Policy Analysis (EPPA) model of the world economy. His research covers a wide range of topics, including energy economics, climate policy, taxation, advanced energy technologies, and international trade. Sergey is an Advisory Board Member for the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) Consortium and a Member of the Scientific Steering Committee for the Integrated Assessment Modeling Consortium (IAMC). Dr. Paltsev is an author of more than 140 peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals and books.

    Sergey Paltsev is a recipient of the 2012 Pyke Johnson Award (by the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, USA, for the best paper in the area of planning and environment), the Best Policy Analysis Paper of 2012 by Environmental Science and Technology Journal of the American Chemical Society and the Best 2004 Research Award by Tokyo Electric Power Company, Japan. Sergey was a Lead Author of the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

    Earlier at MIT, Dr. Paltsev was a Director of the Energy-at-Scale Center and a Deputy Director of the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change, which, together with the MIT Center for Global Change Science, was succeeded by the MIT Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy to produce leading-edge research to help guide societal transitions toward a more sustainable future. 

    Before joining MIT in 2002, Sergey Paltsev worked as a Consultant for International Management and Communication Corporation and The World Bank, and as an Executive Director of the Program in Economics and Management of Technology at Belarusian State University. He received a Diploma in Radiophysics and Electronics from Belarusian State University and a PhD in Economics from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

    12:30 PM

    Critical Minerals for Energy Development: The Battery Supply Chain

    Managing Director and Strategy Lead for Critical Materials, Azimuth Capital Management

    Kathy Woody

    Managing Director and Strategy Lead for Critical Materials, Azimuth Capital Management

    Dr. Kathy Woody has recently joined Azimuth Capital Management as Managing Director and Strategy Lead for Critical Minerals. Before joining Azimuth, Dr. Woody served as Principal Advisor of Energy Technology at Hess Corporation, leading large scale initiatives implementing energy transition and emissions reduction technologies. She also previously served as Director of Energy Technology at Phillips 66, leading projects across energy technology and battery materials development. Dr. Woody holds a PhD in Chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology and has over 40 patents and numerous technical publications.

    12:57 PM

    Closing Remarks
    Program Director, MIT Industrial Liaison Program
    Corey Cheng
    Program Director

    Dr. Corey Cheng joined the Office of Corporate Relations (OCR) as an Senior Industrial Liaison Officer in December 2011. He has broad interests in science and technology, and uses his technical research experience to better serve ILP members in Asia and the United States.

    Cheng spent six years in industrial research at Dolby Laboratories, San Francisco, where he contributed to sound compression (Dolby Digital, AAC, MP3), wireless networking, fingerprinting, and spatial/“3-D audio” technologies. Later, he was Associate Professor and Director of the undergraduate and graduate programs in music engineering technology at the University of Miami, Florida, where he also held a dual appointment in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Cheng holds various U.S. and international patents, has published technical papers, and has presented at various conferences. His technical work includes collaborations and consulting work with the U.S. Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory, Fujitsu-Ten USA, Starkey Laboratories, America Online, and the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). Cheng was an IEEE Distinguished Lecturer for the Circuits and Systems Society from 2009-2010, and was a Westinghouse (Intel) Science Talent Search national finalist many years ago.

    Cheng holds degrees in Electrical Engineering (Ph.D., M.S.E. University of Michigan), Electro-Acoustic Music (M.A. Dartmouth College), and physics (B.A. Harvard University).

    Personally, Dr. Cheng is an American Born Chinese (ABC), serves as his family’s genealogist, and traces his roots back to Toi San, Guang Dong Province and Xing Hua, Jiang Su Province, China. He also has a background in music, and his electro-acoustic compositions have been presented at various U.S. and international venues.