The MIT PVLab |
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Principal Investigator |
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Tonio Buonassisi (bio)SMA Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineeringbuonassisi AT mit DOT edu 77 Massachusetts Ave., 35-213, Cambridge, MA 02139 |
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Postdoctoral Researchers |
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Hyunjoo Choi hyunjoo AT mit DOT edu Dr. Hyunjoo Choi joined the group at the beginning of 2011 from a background of metallurgical engineering. Her research agenda are control of crystal defects and impurities in solid materials. These days she is dedicated to works on enhancing solar cell efficiency by manipulating crystal defects in multicrystalline silicon. She completed her B.S. and Ph.D in metallurgical engineering at Yonsei University, South Korea in 2010. |
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Jasmin Hofstetter jhofstet AT mit DOT edu Dr. Jasmin Hofstetter is studying the kinetics of metallic impurities and dislocations in silicon, and their interaction during solar cell processing. She received a degree in physics from Freie Universität Berlin in Germany in 2006 and she completed a PhD in Photovoltaic Solar Energy at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid in Spain. She joined the PV group in July 2011 as a Humboldt fellow. |
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Christie Simmons christie DOTsimmons AT gmail DOT com Dr. Christie Simmons joined the PVLab in March 2011. She is researching methods for improving the efficiency of thin-film silicon solar cells. She completed a Ph.D. in physics at the University of Wisconsin - Madison studying electron spin qubits (quantum bits) in silicon/silicon-germanium quantum dots. She received a B.A. in physics from Oberlin College in 2005. |
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Mark Winkler (bio) mwinkler AT mit DOT edu Dr. Mark Winkler studies the possibility of using impurity bands in semiconductor materials to improve their photovoltaic conversion efficiencies. Mark joined the Buonassisi group at the start of 2010, after completing a Ph.D. in physics at Harvard University studying electronic transport in non-equilibrium doped silicon. He received a B.S. in physics engineering from Case Western Reserve University in 2004. |
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Research Specialists |
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David Berney Needleman dbn AT mit DOT edu David joined the PV Lab to accelerate an industrial partnership using spatially resolved characterization techniques to develop processes that improve carrier collection in silicon wafers. He received a B.S. in physics in 2007 from the University of Oregon where he studied defect characterization of CIGS thin-film solar cells. He also spent a year working in R&D for a solar thermal company in Cape Town, South Africa. Outside of the lab, you can probably find him skiing, hiking, or playing ultimate frisbee. |
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Jim Serdy serdy AT mit DOT edu Jim grew up on a farm where the tool shed had the basics to keep the machinery working, and corner space to take things apart to see how they worked. During the turmoil of the 1960's, a promising BS turned into an MTh, and he founded and ran a community development center. In the 1970's, he returned to technology via Valley Forge Instruments Co., vocational counseling, course credit equivalent programs for restless gifted students, and finally a powder metal company, developing its first electro-mechanical secondary operations machinery. He was a partner at Solar Design Associates from 1978 to 1981 and designed and installed large-area building-integrated solar thermal and PV systems from 1981 to 1989. He worked as research staff on MIT's 3-D Printing Project and profused multi-well bioreactor from 1989 to 1995. He is a founding member of 1366 Technologies on the Direct Wafer team. |
| Graduate Student Researchers |
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Riley Brandt rbrandt AT mit DOT edu Riley joined the PVLab in 2010 as an undergraduate researcher. His research focuses on characterizing thin film transport and optical properties, fabricating higher efficiency devices from thin film earth-abundant materials, and working with photoelectrochemical cells. Riley is currently working towards the Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. Prior to joining the group, he conducted research in chemical lasers and non-Newtonian microfluidics, as well as interning as a Product Design Engineer at Apple, Inc. |
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Sergio Castellanos sergioc AT mit DOT edu Sergio is a third year graduate student in the Mechanical Engineering Department. He received his B.S. in M.E. from the University of Arizona in December 2008. His previous research experience was on PEM Fuel cells and Organic Solar Cells. His current research focuses on the reduction of dislocations in multicrystalline silicon solar cells. He enjoys sailing, swimming, and playing soccer. Sergio is a 2010 recipient of the Roberto Rocca fellowship. |
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Rupak Chakraborty rupak AT mit DOT edu Rupak is a first year graduate student in Mechanical Engineering. He earned his bachelor's degree in physics from Harvard University in 2010. His previous research experience includes ultracold atomic physics, quantum chemistry of photosynthetic complexes, and photoelectrochemical characterization of thin films. Rupak also spent six months with Twin Creeks Technologies working on novel manufacturing processes for crystalline silicon photovoltaics. He is currently interested in low-cost, earth-abundant materials for thin film solar cells. |
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David Fenning (bio) dfenning AT mit DOT edu David is a fourth year graduate student in Mechanical Engineering. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University in 2008, where he researched water management in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. His current research interests include studying the kinetics of impurities in silicon crystals during high temperature solar cell processing and alternative device architectures for improved solar cell efficiency. David is an NSF fellow. |
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Katy Hartman khartman AT mit DOT edu Katy is a fourth year graduate student in Materials Science and Engineering. She is interested in earth-abundant materials for thin film solar cells, as well as the application of solar technology in developing countries. She completed her B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering at MIT in June 2008, and has also worked as an intern at Evergreen Solar, Inc. Outside of MIT, Katy enjoys tennis, cooking, and drinking tea. Katy is an NSF fellow. |
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Eric Johlin johlin AT mit DOT edu Research Interests: Amorphous silicon, photovoltaics, electron traps in disordered materials. Eric Johlin is co-advised by Jeff Grossman |
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Yun Seog Lee leeys AT mit DOT edu Yun Seog Lee is a fifth year graduate student in Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His current research interests include design and fabrication of high efficiency thin film solar cells using low-cost materials. He received the B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Seoul National University, Korea, in 2006, and the M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, CA, in 2007. |
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Jonathan Pradana Mailoa jpmailoa AT mit DOT edu Jonathan is a first year Electrical Engineering graduate student at MIT. He received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences and Physics from MIT. He has previously interned at Robert Bosch while working towards his M.Eng degree through MIT VI-A internship thesis program. He is interested in improving solar cell efficiency by the use of intermediate bandgap material and light trapping. |
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Ashley Morishige aemorish AT mit DOT edu Ashley is a first year graduate student in Mechanical Engineering. She received her Bachelor of Engineering degree in Environmental Engineering from Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College in 2011, where she researched global pastureland productivity and its implications for meeting the growing demands for sustainable fuel, food, feed, and fiber. Ashley enjoys learning new skills, cycling, and listening to National Public Radio. |
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Doug Powell dmpowell AT mit DOT edu Doug is a second year graduate student in Mechanical Engineering. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Ohio State University in 2008. His previous research experience includes solar hot water heating systems and sustainable housing implementation. Doug spent one year with General Electric Wind to understand the interactions between system level design, the application of advanced technology, the customer, and the competitive landscape. His current research interests include finding ways to improve solar cell economics through material processing steps. |
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Sin Cheng Siah sincheng AT mit DOT edu Sin Cheng is a second year graduate student in Mechanical Engineering at MIT. Prior to graduate school, he studied at the National University of Singapore where he received his B.Eng. in Engineering Science, specializing in energy systems. His interest in solar energy led him to complete his final year thesis at the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore where he researched on using spectroscopic ellipsometry to characterize functional thin films deposited on textured silicon substrates. His current research interests include designing and fabricating high efficiency thin film solar cells using inexpensive and non-toxic materials. Sin Cheng is a 2010 recipient of the Clean Energy Scholarship from the National Research Foundation of Singapore. |
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Joe Sullivan joe_s AT mit DOT edu Joe is a fourth-year graduate student in Mechanical Engineering at MIT. His current research focuses on the electronic characterization of an ultra-doped silicon material that has the potential to be used in high-efficiency thin-film devices. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University and his M.S. from Stanford University in Civil Engineering with a focus on Atmosphere and Energy. Joe is an NSF fellow. |
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Undergraduate Student Researchers |
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Jordan Burgess jburgess AT mit DOT edu Jordan is a third year Engineering undergraduate student from the University of Cambridge currently on exchange at MIT. His research focuses on solar cell analysis techniques such as Lock-In Thermography and Photoelastic Stress Measurement. He enjoys travelling, skiing and discovering new music. |
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Mary Breton mbreton AT mit DOT edu Mary is a second year undergraduate in the Materials Science and Engineering Department at MIT. Her research focuses on optimization of contact metallization in photovoltaic cells. She enjoys dancing, art, and sports. |
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Visiting Researchers |
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Jeanette Lindroos jeanette DOT vk DOT lindroos AT gmail DOT com Jeanette is a visiting graduate student from Aalto University in Finland. Her current research focuses on light-induced degradation and impurity characterization in silicon. She received her dual M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Aalto University and Ecole Centrale Paris in 2010. She is a Fulbright-Technology Industries of Finland grantee. |
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Office Manager |
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Lauren Wolinsky lwolin AT mit DOT edu |
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PVLab Alumni Network |
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Alexandria Fecych |
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Michelle Vogl |
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Sarah Bernardis |
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André Augusto |
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Bonna Newman |
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Mariana Bertoni |
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Steve Hudelson |
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Sebastián Castro |
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Vidya Ganapati |
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Keith Richtman |
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Sabine Langkau |
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Sebastian Oener |
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Stephan Schoenfelder |
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Angelika Gorgulla |
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Aaron Sampson |
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Clémence Colin |
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Laboratory Members
Buonassisi Group
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© 2007-2012 MIT PVLab |