Dr. Ira Bloom is currently a senior chemist and group leader at Argonne National Laboratory, specializing in the testing and post-test analysis of cells and complete battery systems with over 34 years of experience.  His research interests span synthetic, inorganic chemistry; catalysis; fuel cells and batteries.  He is known worldwide for his work in battery testing and life modeling.  His education background is Brown University (BS, Chemistry) and the University of Chicago, where he earned his Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry in 1983.  He has been active in the battery materials and testing fields, having more than 120 publications and 8 patents.  He received an IR-100 Award in 1987 for a micro-membrane sensor to measure sodium-ion concentrations at elevated temperature.  He participated in the creation of international recommended practices (one step before a standard) in battery testing.  His work in battery life estimation led to the creation of software, which became the recognized standard for life estimation for USABC- and DOE-funded battery development projects.  In 2011, he established the Post-Test Facility for the elucidation of the physical and chemical changes that cause battery performance decline.