Greg Guymon
Department: Mechanical Engineering Advisor: Devin MacKenzie Greg Guymon is a fourth-year Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. student under the advisement of Prof. Devin J. MacKenzie. Based at the Washington Clean Energy Testbeds, Greg’s research focuses on advancing synthesis and nanomanufacturing strategies for fabricating heterointegrated photonic-based quantum computing and networking platforms. His work specifically explores how electrohydrodynamic inkjet printing can be optimized to reduce the field’s dependence on environmentally toxic and wasteful photolithography techniques while pushing the boundaries of conventional nanomanufacturing technologies. While his efforts are primarily aimed at quantum information science applications, the developed methods also hold promise for classical devices such as high-resolution, energy-efficient QLED displays, temperature-stable quantum dot...
Aurelia Meiqi Brook
Department: Physics Advisor: Arka Majumdar My research under Professor Arka Majumdar concerns the study of light-matter interactions, semiconductor-based photonics, and meta-optics. Meta-optics are optical lenses formed by collections of nanometer-scale pillars, which allow for selective transmission and reflection of light at desired wavelengths. They provide a lightweight, compact solution to any application where this kind of tunability confers an advantage. This is especially the case for clean energy applications. For example, in imaging, hot objects emit thermal radiation in the infrared wavelength range; analyzing the spectrum of light emanating from an object provides a precise measurement of its temperature. Therefore, meta-optics which absorb infrared photons can...
Julisa Juarez
Department: Chemistry Advisor: David Ginger I am currently a third-year PhD student in the Department of Chemistry working in David Ginger's Lab. My research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of perovskite solar cell technology with the goal of creating a more efficient and robust solar energy material. My main research purpose is to aid in the upcoming commercialization of these novel perovskite devices!...
Ahmet Mesut Alpkılıç
Department: Mechanical Engineering Advisor: Ricky Wang I am a second-year PhD student in Mechanical Engineering, currently working under the guidance of Professor Ricky Wang. My research is centered on utilizing optical coherence tomography (OCT) and its various modalities to investigate morphological and dynamic changes in living tissue on a layer-by-layer basis. This work aims to advance our understanding of tissue structures and processes through precise imaging techniques. Specifically, I am applying OCT to examine both the surface and internal layers of solar cells. This approach aims to enhance fast, precise, non-destructive, and reliable material quality testing. It also aligns with CEI’s mission by contributing to the advancement...
Celine Liew
Department: Chemistry Advisor: Daniel Gamelin My research focuses on synthesizing and characterizing highly anisotropic Mn2+-doped II-VI nanoplatelet semiconductors that show prospects to serve as chromophores in Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs). LSCs are optical devices that leverage solar downconversion to overcome thermalization losses that lead to inefficiencies in solar photovoltaics. These materials absorb sunlight over a broad spectral region and emit lower-energy photons that are energetically well-matched to the optimal performance of the photovoltaic, increasing its overall efficiency. The transparent nature of these devices makes them well-suited as solar windows for integration into buildings. However, current LSCs lack emission directionality due to the scattering of emitted light which...
Maxwell Taub
Department: Chemistry Faculty Advisor: Xiaosong Li I am a Ph.D. student in the Department of Chemistry, interested in theoretical and computational chemistry. Working under Xiaosong Li, my research focuses on using the principles of quantum mechanics and special relativity to study molecular systems. Heavy elements generate electrostatic potentials strong enough to accelerate nearby electrons to speeds approaching that of light. Without a relativistic treatment, the Schrödinger equation breaks down in this limit. Proper relativistic treatments are necessary to predict certain phenomena like phosphorescence, an essential process for many modern OLED and solar cell technologies. The goal of my research is to use relativistic calculations to elucidate the charge transfer dynamics upon...
Soren Sandeno
Department: Chemistry Advisor: Prof Brandi Cossairt Research Description: I am a fourth-year in the Cossairt lab working on synthesizing colloidal nanomaterials for use in solid-state lighting and photovoltaic detection. I focus on indium phosphide (InP) and indium arsenide (InAs) quantum dots which provide a heavy metal free platform for generating highly efficient optoelectronic materials that can emit and detect across the visible and near-infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. These materials have metastable molecular intermediates that form during the synthesis that we have been able to isolate and characterize. The metastability of these intermediates may allow for neoteric pathways towards obtaining complex yet highly desirable materials such...
Rishabh Sanghavi
Department: Chemical Engineering Faculty Advisor: Zachary Sherman My research is broadly focused on designing nanoparticle-based materials for optical properties. Nanoparticles are appealing as they can minimize light loss and enhance optical absorption when used in energy applications such as photovoltaic cells. Their smaller size and large specific surface area allow them to enhance energy conversion and storage. We use computational simulations, inverse design, and optimization to achieve a desired optical property and learn about the compositional and positional properties of the material in the process. More specifically, we use a mutual polarization method, to calculate polarization effects from external field. I hope to study electric field incident-angle independent materials...
Rachel Woods-Robinson
Rachel Woods-Robinson (she/her) is a CEI Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow, with a collaborative appointment at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Dr. Woods-Robinson’s research focuses on assessing environmental and human impacts of scaling solar photovoltaic (PV) materials and other emerging technologies to address the climate crisis. Her research interests span from the nanoscale, such as sustainable materials discovery of new crystals for renewable energy, to the terawatt scale, such as strategies to scale photovoltaics to 2050 net-zero goals. She is mentored by Alberta “Birdie” Carpenter at NREL, is hosted at the UW by David Ginger, and collaborates with industrial partners. Dr. Woods-Robinson received her Ph.D. in...
Shijing Sun
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Dr. Shijing Sun's research lies at the crossroads of materials science, data science, and robotics, driving interdisciplinary studies into autonomous materials design for clean energy technologies. With a vision to address global energy, climate, and sustainability challenges, Dr. Sun’s interests span from understanding the fundamental structure-function relationships of inorganic materials to tool development incorporating artificial intelligence for amplified research capacities and efficiency. She joined UW from the Toyota Research Institute where she worked on EV energy storage. She previously worked at MIT applying data science to thin film photovoltaics. Email | Website | LinkedIn...
Ethan Schwartz
Department: Mechanical Engineering Faculty Advisor: Devin MacKenzie I am a second year Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering, working in the Washington Clean Energy Testbeds with Dr. Devin Mackenzie. My research focuses on process optimization of scalable thin film photovoltaic technology. As a mechanical engineer, I have a unique perspective working in a largely material space, spending my time optimizing manufacturing processes such as slot die coating and gas quenching to control crystallization mechanisms, laser scribing for circuit integration, and building a large throughput physical vapor deposition system to expedite experiments. My degree also focuses in data science, where I plan to take these unique tools I...
Spencer Cira
Department: Chemical Engineering Faculty Advisor: Hugh Hillhouse I am a 3rd-year Ph.D. student in Chemical Engineering at the UW where I work under Professor Hugh W. Hillhouse. My research focuses on understanding the light-stability of commercially relevant perovskite semiconductors for application in next generation, low cost photovoltaics. I aim to elucidate fundamental stability weaknesses in these materials and pioneer methods for increasing perovskite solar cell longevity. Outside of the lab, I enjoy spending time in the mountains trail running and skiing. ...