An Interview with Lily Ellebracht
Director of Process Development at ThermAvant Technologies
Q: Hey Lily! Thanks for joining us today. Let’s start at the beginning, what is your background and how'd it lead you to ThermAvant Technologies (TAT)?
“I got involved in OHP (Oscillating Heat Pipe) technology while getting my undergrad at the University of Missouri. I was a part of the undergraduate research program and partnered with Dr. Ma. My project was to research, design and fabricate a small, thin copper OHP.
Once I graduated from Mizzou, I ventured to Barcelona to get my master's from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia – BarcelonaTech (UPC).
When I came back to the States, I contacted Dan Pounds, who I worked with during his graduate work in Dr. Ma’s lab. He had just started working at ThermAvant and it turned out that he was looking for a Lab Tech to help run testing so I signed up for what I thought was a temporary position and, 8 years and many changes in positions later, I’m still here.”
Q: Tell us about your career so far at TAT? What is your greatest accomplishment so far at TAT?
“During my time here, I’ve worn many different hats and tried my hand at nearly every position at TAT — from lab tech to design engineering to IT manager to project management. Being part of a small company, I got to help build new systems or processes, then pass them off once we were large enough to dedicate a department or position — it’s difficult to pinpoint my favorite accomplishment or piece of the company that I impacted.
Now, I’m back in research and development and am working on the next big step for ThermAvant, which revolves around improving processes and implementing automation. Ultimately, trying to lower costs and make our products available to more customers.
Over the past 8 years of working with ThermAvant, we have talked many times internally about things we would want to try to be more efficient and reduce human error. Now, I’m getting to see some of these ideas come to life, and it’s very exciting.”
Q: What are you looking forward to developing and demonstrating next year at TAT?
“We’re working on some really exciting developments at the moment, some of which I can’t discuss yet, but we’re making big shifts in how efficiently we can manufacture products for our customers.
We develop thermal management systems that allow our clients' products to work harder, longer and/or in extreme environments — whatever the case may be — and one of the things we’re known for is our ability to craft custom solutions that enable new technologies that otherwise wouldn’t be able to function.
We love doing this, and there is no shortage of systems that have waste heat problems that require specific solutions, like a custom-built Oscillating Heat Pipes.
However, if we don’t invest in increasing manufacturing speed and capacity while lowering cost, we will be limited in what we can contribute to lowering size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-$) for the DoD and commercial partners. That is the main thrust of what I will be developing in the next year.”
Q: What advice do you give aspiring R&D engineers or OHP researchers?
“I would recommend that any aspiring engineers who are looking to see their designs and ideas come to life work at a smaller company with a strong culture.
One of the many great advantages of working at TAT is the fact that you can effect change more quickly. TAT is still a smaller size company, and it’s so wonderful to be able to make changes happen quickly, with very little (to no) red tape.
When I first started at TAT, I was one of 8 people. Now we have 80+, but we’ve managed to keep the innovative, energetic culture of a smaller company. If you need something, the people here will step up and help.”
Your Next Career Move Starts Here
ThermAvant Technologies has grown staffing from four employees in 2014 to 70+ in 2023.
We are continuously seeking to add capable, high-character team members to our Columbia, MO headquarters.
Lily D. Ellebracht | Director of Process Development
Lily joined the team in 2015. She supports product and process development efforts by improving efficiency and safety in production processing. Prior to ThermAvant, her research was focused on advanced cooling technologies, control theory, and automation techniques that quickly, efficiently, and reliably manufacture quality products. Lily has authored three technical publications related to machine learning, automated controls systems, and more recently, thermal management. Lily has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Missouri – Columbia and a Master of Science, focused on Automatic Control and Robotics, from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia – BarcelonaTech (UPC).