Timothy Heidel

Chief Executive Officer

2023 - Current

Chief Technology Officer

2020 - 2023

VEIR is developing a new generation of High Temperature Superconductor (HTS)-based transmission lines. VEIR’s evaporative cooling architecture delivers 20 times the cooling power per kilogram of coolant flow compared to conventional approaches. VEIR’s innovations will enable reliable, low loss, cost–effective HTS-based transmission over long distances in narrow rights–of–way, connecting the lowest cost renewable power to where it’s needed, when it’s needed.

Consultant / Advisor

2021

Principal

2018 - 2021

Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV) invests in companies that leverage innovative technologies to help address climate change. Backed by many of the world’s top business leaders, BEV has more than $1 billion in committed capital to support bold entrepreneurs building companies that can significantly reduce emissions from agriculture, buildings, electricity, manufacturing, and transportation. The fund was created in 2016 by the Breakthrough Energy Coalition.

Deputy Chief Scientist

2017 - 2018

Program Director

2013 - 2017

• Managed over 75 ARPA-E funded research projects (total federal funding > $150M) across 6 ARPA-E programs. Continuously assessed project performance and assisted teams in the execution of research. • Launched ARPA-E SWITCHES and GRID DATA programs. Pitched program concepts to ARPA-E technical staff, researched and wrote funding opportunity announcements, coordinated proposal reviews, made award selection recommendations, and negotiated project milestones. • ARPA-E programs managed: o GENI (Green Electricity Network Integration) – $40M – Hardware and software innovations to increase electric transmission network flexibility and controllability. o ADEPT (Agile Delivery of Electrical Power Technologies) – $38M – High efficiency, high power density power electronics for applications ranging from LED drivers to power grid flow controllers. o Solar ADEPT – $15M – High efficiency, high power density solar inverters (both microinverters and central inverters) enabled by wide bandgap transistors and/or novel circuit designs. o SWITCHES (Strategies for Wide Bandgap, Inexpensive Transistors for Controlling High Efficiency Systems) – $27M – Wide-bandgap semiconductor (SiC, GaN, diamond) material, device design, and device fabrication process breakthroughs to enable wide bandgap power devices to reach cost parity with Si power devices in high voltage and high power applications. o GRID DATA (Generating Realistic Information for the Development of Distribution and Transmission Algorithms) – $12M – Large scale, realistic, validated, open-access power system optimal power flow model and scenario development. The program aims to enable optimal power flow algorithm competitions. o OPEN FOA – $15M – Managed 7 ARPA-E Open FOA projects focused on innovations in power electronics and grid optimization.

Assistant Program Director

2012 - 2013

Fellow

2012 - 2012

Research Director, MIT Future of the Electric Grid Study

2010 - 2012

• Managed research efforts for interdisciplinary study on the future evolution of the U.S. electric grid. • Led research team with 12 faculty/staff and 9 graduate students from electrical engineering, economics, and technology policy departments. • Identified and studied the technology, policy, regulatory, and standards barriers to successfully overcoming emerging electric grid challenges (e.g. large-scale renewables integration, cyber security, transmission expansion) and seizing new technical opportunities (e.g. new technologies for transmission, distribution, and demand participation). • Interviewed stakeholders throughout the electric power industry (including academia, utilities, RTO/ISOs, vendors, state/federal regulators, and government agencies) to identify grid modernization challenges and opportunities.

Graduate Student Research Assistant

2004 - 2010

• Studied the physics of exciton dissociation in organic semiconductor photovoltaics and the impact of dissociation efficiency on open circuit voltage, short circuit current, fill factor, and device efficiency. • Designed new organic semiconductor photovoltaics with improved power conversion efficiency. • Investigated organic semiconductor solar concentrators, biological sensors, chemical sensors, soft semiconductor transistors, and light emitting diodes in collaboration with other researchers.

Summer Fellow

2009 - 2009

· Helped design merit review process for concept paper phase of inaugural funding opportunity. · Recruited technical reviewers from government, universities, national labs, and industry. · Coordinated and tracked 9,000+ reviewer assignments to specific concept paper reviews. · Reviewed technical concept paper proposals for impact on ARPA-E Mission Areas and for scientific merit.

Managing Director

2008 - 2009

- Planned 4th annual conference including public showcase featuring 80 presenters from industry and academia (1300+ attendees) and a day-long conference session featuring 2 keynotes and 8 panel sessions (600 attendees). - Consulted with leaders in academia, policy, business, and entrepreneurship to design conference program. - Recruited and managed team of 70 student volunteers on all aspects of conference planning. - Managed relationships with the MIT administration, the MIT Energy Initiative, the MIT Alumni Association and other partner organizations.

Graduate Student

2006 - 2009

• Studied potential roles for energy storage in wholesale electricity markets including energy arbitrage, renewable generation firming, ancillary services, and infrastructure investment deferral. • Formulated, modeled, and solved a mixed integer optimization problem to calculate the optimal use of energy storage with photovoltaic generation for energy arbitrage. • Calculated revenue and avoided emissions impacts of adding energy storage to photovoltaics using using historical marginal emissions rates.