Keeping Our Cool: How Coating Technologies Can Affect the Built Environment

The human stewardship of the earth is undergoing a metamorphosis. The planet is getting hotter, and the situation is getting worse. Climate change represents the most important issue of our time and has created the need for development of new technologies to address the consequences of higher ambient temperatures.

The built environment demands more energy for cooling, and the energy grid is struggling to keep up, making energy efficiency an important part of the response. Outside of transportation, heating and cooling commercial and residential spaces is an area where significant gains can be made. Cool roof coatings can help reduce the load for heating and cooling. This program will discuss how we got here and what specific technologies are available to reduce energy consumption and help us keep our cool.

About the Speakers

Matthew Aguayo is the cofounder and CEO of EnKoat, a leader in developing advanced, sustainable coatings that improve energy efficiency and weather resistance in buildings. He holds a PhD and MS in structures and materials engineering, along with a BSE in civil, environmental, and sustainable engineering from Arizona State University. His extensive experience includes designing novel composite coatings with multi-functional materials to boost the physical, thermal, and mechanical performance of building envelopes. Recognized in Forbes “30 Under 30” for energy, Aguayo has multiple patents and is widely published in material science, focusing on innovative and sustainable material technologies. His leadership at EnKoat is driving transformative advancements in the roofing industry, delivering high-performance solutions that have a lasting impact on the built environment. Outside his professional achievements, Aguayo values time with his wife and four children.

Alexander Grahn currently works as an application specialist at Svenska Aerogel, a Swedish aerogel producer. He supports and facilitates numerous projects where Quartzene® aerogels are used to improve a variety of paint and coating products. These aerogels are lightweight solutions that enhance thermal insulation and fire resistance, which is also of great interest to the electric vehicles industry. He has a master of science degree in engineering physics with material science from Uppsala University in Sweden and has worked his entire career with start- and scale-up companies that focus on bringing new, smart material solutions to the market.

Victoria Scarborough currently serves as the Vice President of Collaborative Innovation for the ChemQuest Group Inc., a global specialty chemicals and materials consulting service. After working in the coatings industry for over 40 years, she retired from The Sherwin-Williams Co., where she was global external technology director tasked with identifying transformative technologies by scouting outside normal vendor channels that included universities, the technical marketplace, search agencies, government and military technology sources, venture capital firms, and parallel consumer product industries. She holds multiple national and international patents, published numerous articles on innovation, product development, and commercialization and has been an invited speaker to both national and international conferences. Scarborough writes a regular column for Innovation Insights, where she highlights industry trends, emerging technologies, and the many ways companies can drive innovation within their organization. She frequently participates as a National Science Foundation (NSF) panel reviewer for grant proposals and is a mentor in the NSF I-Corps program. She holds a BS in biology from the University of Mary Washington, a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and completed the Sherwin-Williams Leadership Excellence Program at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western University.

The Joseph Priestley Society (JPS) promotes a deeper understanding of science, technology, and industry, with an emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship. Speakers are leaders from a wide variety of large and small chemical companies and the financial, consulting, and academic communities. View past JPS events on YouTube.

For more information about this event, please contact jps@sciencehistory.org.

Featured image: “How’s Your House’s Hat?” from Pamphlets Corresponding to Radio Shows Produced by the National Paint, Varnish and Lacquer Association, 1940s.