After a 40 + year career setting up chip pilot facilities in India and working the leading
Semiconductor company, Vijay was ready to make a change. In 2020, he read the National
Geographic’s issue commemorating the 50th Earth Day that outlined two “starkly different futures
for the planet in the next 50 years”. The issue detailed the optimistic and pessimistic future for our
planet which made him think of the relevance of his skills in shaping the optimistic view.
Inspired to contribute to a brighter future for generations to come, Vijay made a pivot from the
Semiconductor industry to focus on Climate Action. He discovered the Encore Fellowships Program
(EFP), a well-designed process that quickly suggested a few matches based on his desired goals.
Meeting with the CEO at New Energy Nexus (NEX), with their focus on entrepreneurship in clean
energy transition in general and clean energy storage in particular, made it clear that this was the
match that would empower him to make a difference.
After three months of this intense on-boarding, the CEO suggested approaching some of his
connections in the industry with links into the US Department of Energy (DOE) to find ways to create
a Europe-like ecosystem in the US with concrete goals. Vijay collected the key non-profit
stakeholders and started this conversation in March 2021. In June 2021 the Federal Consortium for
Advanced Batteries (FCAB) led by DOE released a “National Blueprint for Lithium Batteries” that identified concrete goals for the battery industry in the US by 2030 to overcome the challenges
hindering the clean energy transition in the US.
“The Encore Fellow (Vijay Dhar) has absorbed the intellectual weight of membership we have held
in a national industry association and turned it from a burden into an asset! He has become our
lead in partnership with them and the Federal government and carries out his role with aplomb.
His experience and wisdom are particularly potent in this role.”
— Danny Kennedy at New Energy Nexus
Once his Fellowship finished, Vijay stayed on as a contractor to the New Energy Nexus (NEX) and
continued to apply these skills to drive a few key initiatives that are critical to nation’s buildup of a
competitive battery supply chain by 2030, especially the innovation ecosystem and workforce
development. He has enjoyed this “second act with a purpose,” in a part time role using his talents
to make a difference while also dedicating time to his family and community. The Encore Fellowship
has proven to be an excellent vehicle for achieving this balance.
