Research Outline at UC-Berkeley

Due to global climate change and the security of energy supplies, a major scientific challenge of the 21st century is to change our current fossil-fuel-based economy to the one that is more sustainable. Among the various sources of renewable energy, solar energy is essentially unlimited and consequently, one of the most promising sources to meet the world’s growing energy demand. Solar photovoltaic systems can convert directly photons to electrical power, but the main limitations with present solar cells are their high material cost and low conversion efficiencies. Another attractive solution to the energy problem is to harness heat sources such as geothermal heat, solar heat and waste heat dissipated in energy conversion processes. Thermoelectric and thermophotovoltaic systems are both capable of directly converting heat into electricity, but again, the main barrier is their low efficiency. With many advances in nanostructured materials and nanoscale designs, it is clear that nanoscale engineering will play an important role in resolving these issues for solar and thermal energy conversion. During my PhD study at MIT, I have carried out both theoretical and experimental research on nanoscale energy transport/conversion including nanoscale thermal radiation, optical and thermal characterization of nanostructures, and molecular gas transport in hard drive. My broad research experience, together with interdisciplinary education with a focus in nanotechnology and energy, positions me well to continue my contributions in our quest to transit our energy infrastructure into one that is more efficient and renewable. In an effort to provide practical solutions to the global energy problem, my proposed research in Professor Xiang Zhang’s group at University of California-Berkeley will cover two main areas: