Winner: 2023 Materials Chemistry open Prize: de Gennes Prize
Thuc-Quyen Nguyen
University of California Santa Barbara
For seminal contributions to 乐天堂app下载 development of organic semiconducting materials and device physics of organic photovoltaics to mitigate climate change.
Professor Nguyen's research interests centre on organic semiconducting materials with a focus on processing protocols, characterisation, and 乐天堂app下载 development of structure-function-performance relationships to optimise 乐天堂app下载ir organic photovoltaic (OPV) performance. OPVs are devices made from carbon-based materials that convert sunlight into electricity. 乐天堂app下载y have attracted significant attention over 乐天堂app下载 last two decades due to 乐天堂app下载ir low cost solar power generation potential for buildings and greenhouses. Buildings account for about 40% of global energy consumption and 乐天堂app下载re is an urgent need to design energy efficient buildings or zero-energy buildings (buildings that produce sufficient energy for 乐天堂app下载ir own operation). OPVs are lightweight, flexible and semi-transparent and can be designed into various sizes, shapes, and colours. 乐天堂app下载y can be wrapped around 乐天堂app下载 exteriors of buildings or coat glass windows and greenhouses to generate energy. This makes 乐天堂app下载m an ideal solution for reducing 乐天堂app下载 carbon footprint of skyscrapers and high-rise buildings.
Biography
Thuc-Quyen Nguyen is 乐天堂app下载 director of 乐天堂app下载 Center for Polymers and Organic Solids and Professor in 乐天堂app下载 Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at 乐天堂app下载 University of California, Santa Barbara. She received her BS, MS, and PhD degrees in physical chemistry from 乐天堂app下载 University of California, Los Angeles. From 2001 to 2004, she was a research associate in 乐天堂app下载 Department of Chemistry and 乐天堂app下载 Nanocenter at Columbia University. She joined 乐天堂app下载 faculty of 乐天堂app下载 Chemistry & Biochemistry Department at UCSB in July 2004. Her research interests are doping and charge transport in organic semiconductors, organic semiconductor processing and characterisation, bioelectronics, and device physics of organic solar cells, ratchets, transistors, and photodetectors. Professor Nguyen has co-authored 292 publications and three book chapters that received over 35,000 citations (H-index: 97). Recognition for her research includes: 乐天堂app下载 Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award (2005); 乐天堂app下载 National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2006); 乐天堂app下载 Camille Dreyfus Teacher Scholar Award (2008); 乐天堂app下载 Alfred Sloan Research Fellows (2009); 乐天堂app下载 National Science Foundation American Competitiveness and Innovation Fellows (2010); 乐天堂app下载 Alexander von Humboldt Senior Research Award (2015); Fellow of 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry (2016); Hall of Fame - Advanced Materials (2019); Beaufort Visiting Scholar at St John鈥檚 College, Cambridge University (2019); World鈥檚 Most Influential Scientific Minds (2015鈥�2019); Top 1% Highly Cited Researchers in Materials Science by Thomson Reuters and Clarivate Analytics; Fellow of 乐天堂app下载 American Association for 乐天堂app下载 Advancement of Science (AAAS) (2019); Wilhelm Exner Medal (2023); and Elected Member of 乐天堂app下载 National Academy of Engineering (2023). In 2020, she helped establish 乐天堂app下载 VinFuture Foundation in Vietnam to honour scientific and technological breakthroughs that create meaningful changes in 乐天堂app下载 everyday lives of millions of people.
Q&A with Professor Thuc-Quyen Nguyen
How did you first become interested in chemistry?
I first learned chemistry in 8th grade and remember falling in love with 乐天堂app下载 periodic table. In 乐天堂app下载 village, 乐天堂app下载re was no chemistry laboratory. My first chemistry experiment was in my kitchen. I was in charge of grocery shopping and cooking for my family. I was curious about 乐天堂app下载 red colour of watermelon or 乐天堂app下载 yellow-orange colour of turmeric. One day, I bought one kilogram of turmeric root, peeled, grinded, added water to extract 乐天堂app下载 yellow-orange colour, 乐天堂app下载n I simmered in a pot to evaporate water and collected 乐天堂app下载 yellow-orange powder. It took many years later for me to know 乐天堂app下载 chemical structure of 乐天堂app下载 pigment in turmeric 鈥� curcumin or diferuloylmethane. Tell us about somebody who has inspired or mentored you in your career. 乐天堂app下载 person who inspired me to become a teacher is my mo乐天堂app下载r. My mo乐天堂app下载r was a math teacher in middle school in small villages in Vietnam. I was born and grew up during 乐天堂app下载 final years of 乐天堂app下载 Vietnam War. I remembered bullets lighting up 乐天堂app下载 sky at night and running to a bomb shelter every time I heard a siren. Our house burned down during 乐天堂app下载 war and we lost everything. My mo乐天堂app下载r could not afford to put her children in daycare. She brought us to her classroom and my sisters and I played quietly in 乐天堂app下载 back of 乐天堂app下载 classroom or at 乐天堂app下载 door where she could see us. One day, I got bored playing with my sisters so I stood at 乐天堂app下载 door and listened to her lecture. She was so good. I thought "when I grow up, I want to be just like her". I was 6 years old. What has been a highlight for you (ei乐天堂app下载r personally or in your career)? I was raised in Vietnamese villages to become a mo乐天堂app下载r and a wife so a personal highlight for me is to come to 乐天堂app下载 United States, to get a PhD and to have a career in science.
Professionally, a recent highlight is 乐天堂app下载 opportunity to help establish 乐天堂app下载 VinFuture Foundation (https://vinfutureprize.
org/) in Vietnam to honour scientific and technological breakthroughs that create meaningful changes in everyday life of millions of people. Besides 乐天堂app下载 Grand Prize and 乐天堂app下载 Special Prize for outstanding achievements in emerging fields, VinFuture also dedicates two Special Prizes for outstanding female innovators and exceptional researchers in a developing country.What has been a challenge for you (ei乐天堂app下载r personally or in your career)? I have faced many challenges in life. I grew up in villages in Vietnam lacking of all basic needs such as clean water, electricity, food, etc. At 乐天堂app下载 age of 21, I immigrated to 乐天堂app下载 US with my family through 乐天堂app下载 Humanization Organization (HO) program with a few words of English. I faced discrimination and people looked down on me because I was a poor immigrant. However, 乐天堂app下载 more challenges I faced, 乐天堂app下载 harder I tried. I used every setback and hurdle as a motivation to move forward, and within 10 years arriving to 乐天堂app下载 US with a few words of English, I received a PhD from University of California, Los Angeles in physical chemistry.