Unreasonable Fellows

Megan O'Connor

Cofounder & CEO at Nth Cycle

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Dr. Megan O’Connor is the co-founder and CEO of Nth Cycle, a modern metal refining company accelerating energy independence (transforming the energy transition) through the domestic (through the sustainable) production of critical metals. Leveraging her expertise in environmental chemistry, Dr. O’Connor led the development of the company’s patented electro-extraction technology now deployed in its revolutionary Oyster metal refining system. Through that breakthrough, Nth Cycle is now leading the country on one of its most urgent priorities: creating economic, national, and energy security by matching the domestic supply of critical metals found in end-of-life batteries, scrap metal, and mined ore with a refining capability to separate and extract them for end-use.
Megan graduated with a degree in Chemistry from Union in 2012 and earned her PhD in Environmental Engineering from Duke University in 2017. She co-founded Nth Cycle the same year, and began her company’s journey as an Entrepreneurial Fellow in the Innovation Crossroads program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory before moving the company's headquarters to Massachusetts in 2020.
Under her leadership, Nth Cycle has achieved rapid success, raising over $60m and commercializing its technology in just six years to become the first company in the United States to produce premium nickel cobalt MHP - a mandatory component for multiple applications, including electric vehicles, renewable energy, the electric grid, consumer technology, and defense applications.
Megan has earned global recognition for her leadership, including Forbes “30 Under 30” in Energy (2019), the Grist50 (2022), Bloomberg’s New Energy Finance Pioneer (2023), and TIME100’s Most Influential Climate Leaders in Business as an Innovator (2024).