Simulations of lithium-ion battery cells are usually performed with volume averaging methods that employ effective transport properties. Bruggeman's model, which is widely used to determine these effective properties, is primarily based on the volume fraction of porous electrodes. It does not consider actual particle shape, size or the topology of constituent phases; these play a crucial role in determining effective transport. In this paper, a general derivation of the effective thermal conductivity of multiphase materials, which can be correlated with these factors, is derived using the volume averaging technique. Three-dimensional finite volume meshes of fully-resolved lithium-ion battery cathode microstructures are reconstructed from scanned images. Effective volume averaged thermal conductivity is then determined from numerical analysis of thermal transport on these meshes. It is shown that the Bruggeman model for effective thermal conductivity must be recalibrated to fit the effective thermal conductivity computed from these detailed simulations. The relevance of these results to effective transport properties typically employed in electrochemical simulations is presented. Commonly used theories for effective thermal transport in composites are evaluated for comparison. Furthermore, it is shown that Bruggeman's exponents yield an important quantitative measure, the connectivity, to characterize the physical path for transport through the underlying phases. The importance of lithium-ion batteries is now well recognized in light of the global energy crisis, global warming and the need for efficient and inexpensive energy storage options.1,2 Battery physics encompass thermodynamics, electrochemistry, material science, transport phenomena and solid mechanics, and span multiple length and time scales.3 Realistic modeling of batteries across these disparate physics and scales is critical for their effective and safe commercialization. 4 Research in lithium-ion batteries has been primarily driven by the need to develop cathode, anode and electrolyte materials that deliver high potential and capacity. 5,6 On the cell level, the battery consists of a porous composite anode and cathode filled with an electrolyte and separated by a separator. Typically, the thickness of such a sandwich is hundreds of microns, while lateral dimensions are of the order of centimeters. Lithium ions shuttle between cathode and anode during charge and discharge. Active cathode particles (for e.g. LiCoO 2 , LiMn 2 O 4 , LiFePO 4 ), which form the key constituent of batteries, are lithium insertion compounds and have high lithium ion conductivity. These active particles are spatially dispersed and held together by binder (such as polyvinylidene fluoride [PVDF]), while the electrolyte resides in the pores, wetting the active particles, and facilitating transport of lithium ions. The electronic conductivity of these active materials is generally low compared to lithium ion conductivity. Therefore additives like carbon particles are dispersed ...