Next-generation batteries and high-power electronics demand thermal networks that can route, store, and modulate heat on demand. This project explores “thermal circuit elements” including mechanical thermal switches (ON/OFF control) and thermal memristors (history-dependent thermal response), aiming to protect devices during transients, enhance cold-start performance, and improve safety. Students will design and prototype compact switches using SMA actuation, electroadhesion, or bilayer expansion, and investigate thermal memristive behaviors via phase-change or contact-history mechanisms. Integration into battery mockups will quantify benefits in temperature uniformity, peak suppression, and cycle life surrogates.