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Light, heat, and materials for clean energy

We study how light and heat interact with materials. We apply this knowledge to make energy and heat transfer systems more efficient.

Blue light scattering through an aerogel discWatercolour and ink study of a blue streak through a translucent disc

An ominous scene in watercolour and ink1. What is causing this blue light to scatter?

An aerogel sample. Light scatters as it passes through the porous material, tracing a blue path through the disc.

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A sample inside a glowing tube furnaceViolet and ember-red arcs around a gold centre

A lab scene in semi-abstract oil1. Can you guess what’s glowing?

Inside a tube furnace. A sample rests on a support in the glowing furnace tube.

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Rows of solar mirrors focusing sunlight on a receiverA blue sky, pale upright shape and bright strips converging in the foreground.

A lab scene rendered in the style of semi-abstract modernist gouache1. Can you guess what it is?

A linear Fresnel reflector. Rows of mirrors concentrate sunlight onto an aerogel-based solar receiver.

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An induction-heated crucible and its reflection in a mirrorMulticolour linocut of a glowing vessel beneath a mirror

A lab scene in the style of a multicolour linocut1. What casts the bright reflection?

An induction-heated crucible glows inside the coil. The mirror above shows the view into its opening.

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1 Illustrations created from laboratory photographs through a GPT-6-guided workflow using OpenAI’s image-generation tool.

Research topics

  • Solar and nonimaging optics: designing optical systems to collect and concentrate sunlight.
  • Thermal science: studying radiative transfer, heat transfer, and thermodynamics.
  • Materials and characterization: investigating high-temperature materials, nanomaterials, and photonics, supported by radiative-property measurements and emission spectroscopy.

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