By Neil Nachbar
Yi Zheng, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Rhode Island, has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award, one of the most prestigious research awards in support of an early-career faculty member.
The five-year, $503,293 award is for the “Investigation of Nanoscale Radiative Heat Transfer for Enhanced Thermal Infrared Energy Conversion and Cooling.”
“I am very excited that my research has been recognized nationally by my peers,” Zheng said. “This award encourages me to continue to work hard and develop innovative ideas in my field of research.”
According to Zheng, the objective of the research funded by the NSF award is to gain new knowledge about nanoscale thermal transport and its relationship to solar energy harvesting and radiative cooling.
“It is my hope that the successful completion of this research will catalyze the development and expansion of nanoscience and nanotechnology capabilities in the state of Rhode Island,” said Zheng.
Zheng conducts his research in the Micro and Nanoscale Energy Laboratory, currently located at Pastore Hall.
With the new URI College of Engineering building slated to open in September, Zheng has received the NSF CAREER Award at the perfect time.
“With the state-of-the-art laboratories and cleanroom facilities in the new engineering building, URI has an opportunity to expand its capabilities and initiate research in the area of nanoscale thermal transport,” said Zheng. “We’ll be able to shift our research in transformative new directions and ensure that our research community continues to be at the frontiers in the field of nanoscience.”
To complete the outreach activity stipulated in the award, Zheng will partner with high schools in Providence and South Kingstown through the Rhode Island Foundation and diversity programs at URI to engage underrepresented students, especially minorities and women.
“We’ll hold a workshop in the summer in which the high school students will work with URI students and receive hands-on experience in designing and fabricating nanomaterials,” Zheng said. “They’ll be exposed to cutting-edge advances in nanoscale thermal engineering and science.”
Two senior undergraduate students will assist Zheng in coordinating the workshop activities. A new doctoral student to Zheng’s lab will work on the technical aspects of the research under the professor’s supervision. All three students will be funded through the award.
Because the topic Zheng will be researching is far-ranging in scope, he plans to collaborate with professors from other disciplines.
A power engineering professor from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a physics professor from Brown University will work with Zheng on researching multifunctional materials for thermophotovoltaics and radiative cooling.
Zheng has filed five invention disclosures and has two patents pending in the four years he’s worked at URI.
“I expect this funded research to yield some patents, especially in the areas of novel multifunctional photonic metamaterials for high performance energy applications,” Zheng said.
Zheng’s research could have an impact on Rhode Island’s economy.
“The proposed techniques will improve how renewable energy is harnessed, resulting in energy savings through nanomaterial-driven, self-cooling,” Zheng said.