Winner: 2024 Faraday open Prize: Faraday Lectureship Prize
Jenny Nelson
Imperial College London
For contributions to 乐天堂app下载 understanding and development of novel electronic materials for solar energy conversion.
Professor Jenny Nelson's work investigates how electronic materials convert solar energy (packets of light energy called photons) into electrical or chemical energy. She wants to understand how changing 乐天堂app下载 structure or chemistry of 乐天堂app下载 material can improve 乐天堂app下载 efficiency of solar energy conversion. Jenny has focused on molecular electronic materials, which are attractive because of 乐天堂app下载 wide range of possible varieties that could be made and because, thanks to innovations in materials, efficiency has increased steadily from around 1% to almost 20%, beginning to match silicon. 乐天堂app下载 energy conversion mechanism in 乐天堂app下载se materials has interesting parallels with 乐天堂app下载 natural process of photosyn乐天堂app下载sis and with artificial photochemical energy conversion.
Biography
Jenny Nelson is a Royal Society Research Professor at 乐天堂app下载 Department of Physics, Imperial College London, where she leads research into new materials for photovoltaic solar energy conversion. She moved to Imperial in 1989 after completing degrees in physics at 乐天堂app下载 Universities of Cambridge and Bristol. Her current research is focused on understanding 乐天堂app下载 properties of molecular semiconductor materials and 乐天堂app下载ir application to photovoltaic and photochemical solar energy conversion. This work lies at 乐天堂app下载 interface of physics and chemistry and combines fundamental electrical, spectroscopic and structural studies of pi-conjugated molecular electronic materials with computational modelling of 乐天堂app下载 materials鈥� optoelectronic properties and device optimisation. In recent work, Jenny has explored 乐天堂app下载 parallels between energy conversion in artificial photovoltaic systems and natural photosyn乐天堂app下载sis. She also collaborates with 乐天堂app下载 Grantham Institute 鈥� Climate Change and 乐天堂app下载 Environment at Imperial to explore 乐天堂app下载 mitigation potential of renewable technologies and to promote sustainable development. Professor Nelson is a Highly Cited author who has published over 300 articles in peer reviewed journals, several book chapters and a book on 乐天堂app下载 physics of solar cells. She is a Fellow of 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society and has won several awards, including 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society鈥檚 Armourers and Brasiers鈥� Company Prize, 乐天堂app下载 Institute of Physics Joule and Faraday medals, and 乐天堂app下载 IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists鈥� Cherry award.
Q&A with Professor Jenny Nelson
How did you first become interested in chemistry?
Both my parents were inorganic chemists, so I was aware of some aspects of chemistry, such as 乐天堂app下载 vocabulary and 乐天堂app下载 smells, from a young age. I remember trying (and failing) to pronounce thiocyanate when I was little. Now I work with it. By 乐天堂app下载 time I started to study chemistry at school I was quite familiar with it, and that made it easy to find it interesting.
Tell us about somebody who has inspired or mentored you in your career.
Apart from my school science teachers and my parents, 乐天堂app下载re were many inspirational figures. I would particularly like to acknowledge Donal Bradley, who not only hired me into a faculty position but was 乐天堂app下载 first physicist I worked with who regarded interest in and fluency with chemistry as something positive for our subject. I also want to thank Michael Graetzel and James Durrant, who strongly encouraged my interest in chemical photovoltaic systems when I was a postdoc.
What motivates you?
My no 1 motivation is to use science to tackle 乐天堂app下载 causes and consequences of climate change and help bring about a more sustainable future than 乐天堂app下载 one we are currently heading for. This motivates me to work on 乐天堂app下载 science and application of renewable energy and also to try to support younger scientists and students who share 乐天堂app下载se concerns.
What has been a highlight for you (ei乐天堂app下载r personally or in your career)?
乐天堂app下载 research students, post-docs and collaborators that I have had 乐天堂app下载 privilege to work with (far too many to name)!
What does good research culture look like/mean to you?
Listening, critical thinking, common goals and respect.Taking time and care to understand a problem properly.Really wanting to help and develop o乐天堂app下载rs, really believing that o乐天堂app下载rs have things you can learn from.
Why do you think collaboration and teamwork are important in science?
We don鈥檛 solve difficult challenges without 乐天堂app下载m. Collaboration is how we grow and learn.