Principal Investigator
Dr. Alexander R. Uhl
Contact: alexander.uhl@ubc.ca
Postdoctoral Fellows
Dr. Ela Nurlaela
Ela Nurlaela is an expert of photo(electro)catalysis, a core competence with the basis of interdisciplinary knowledge in the field of semiconductor solid-state physics, electrocatalysis, and various characterization and spectroscopic techniques. She received her Ph.D from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia under supervision of Prof. Kazuhiro Takanabe. She continued her research in University of Tokyo for Japan Technological Research Association of Artificial Photosynthetic Chemical Process (Arpchem) project with Prof. Kazunari Domen. In 2021, she joined LSEF at UBC-Okanagan campus, Canada and work on solution-processed semiconductor for solar fuel application.
Education: Ph.D, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
Contact: ela.nurlaela@ubc.ca
Dr. Towhid Chowdhury
Towhid H. Chowdhury joined as a Postdoctoral Researcher at LSEF in May 2022. He is an experienced Researcher working over the past eight years on optoelectronic devices in Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea. His future research is focused on the development of highly efficient third-generation optoelectronic devices such as Perovskite Solar Cells, Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells, Thin Film Transistors, Light Emitting Diodes, and Photodetectors.
Education: Ph.D. (Renewable Energy), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Malaysia
Contact: towhid.chowdhury@ubc.ca
Dr. Abraha Tadese Gidey
Abraha Tadese Gidey is an expert in perovskite photovoltaics, perovskite thin films & single crystals for optoelectronic applications as well as various characterization techniques. His research interests mainly focus on Materials for Sustainable Energy and Optoelectronic applications. He joined LSEF at UBC – Okanagan Campus in September 2022, and working on solution-processed solar cells.
Education: Ph.D. in Sustainable Chemical Science and Technology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) in collaboration with Academia Sinica, Taiwan
Contact: abrish08@mail.ubc.ca
Ph.D. Students
Sunil Suresh
Sunil Suresh is a Ph.D. student in the University of British Columbia (UBC), at the Laboratory for Solar Energy and Fuels (LSEF). He received his M.Sc. from TU Delft in 2018 and was a member of the Alternative Thin-Film Photovoltaics group at Imec, Belgium (2018–2019). His research interests include solution-processed thin-film photovoltaics (CIGS, perovskites, QDs) and implementation of advanced architectures (surface passivation) for PV devices.
Education: VIT, Vellore, B.Tech- Mechanical Engineering with specialization in Energy Sciences
TU Delft, M.Sc -Sustainable Energy Technology- specialization in Photovoltaic Technology
Contact: sunil.suresh@ubc.ca
Elnaz Ghahremani Rad
Elnaz is a PhD candidate in Electrical Engineering and joined LSEF in September 2020. She received her BSc and MSc degrees in Electrical Engineering in Iran. She previously worked on the design and modeling of nanophotonic devices, pleasmonic-based perovskite solar cells and impedance spectroscopy characterization. Her current research focuses on fabrication, optoelectronic characterization, and modelling of perovskite solar cells. Outside of the lab, she enjoys hiking, photography, and dancing.
Education: Electrical Engineering, Shahed University, Iran
Contact: elnaz.ghahremanirad@ubc.ca
Sadaf Shabanian
Sadaf is a PhD candidate in Mechanical engineering. She joined UBC in January 2019. She received her BSc and MSc degrees in Materials Engineering at Isfahan University of Technology, in Iran. Her PhD research focuses on making water-repellent and oil-repellent coatings using non-fluorinated surface chemistries.
Contact: sadaf.shabanian@ubc.ca
Sonia (Zahra) Azimi Dijvejin
Sonia is a PhD candidate in Mechanical engineering. She joined UBC in September 2019. She received her BSc degree from University of Tehran in petroleum engineering in Iran. She also finished her MSc degrees in reservoir engineering at Tarbiat Modares university, in Iran. Her PhD research focuses on designing smart surfaces such as antifouling coatings using 3D deforming metmaterials (kirigami) or smart low interfacial toughness (LIT) coatings.
Contact: zahra.azimi@ubc.ca
Masters Students
Amandine Drew
Amandine Drew’s research is centered around the techno-economic feasibility of photovoltaic (PV) systems in British-Columbia. She examines both the profitability and energy output of PV systems by creating predictive models using simulation softwares. She received her undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from Western University, having completed her undergraduate thesis with the Nanophotonic Energy Materials group.
Education: Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering, Western University, Canada
Contact: amandine.drew@ubc.ca
Undergraduate Students
Jason Schultz
Jason Schultz is an undergraduate student in mechanical engineering. He joined the LSEF in May of 2022 focusing on the instrumentation for Perovskite Solar Cells, with parallel J-V curves and efficiency measurements of multiple cells performed simultaneously. His current research is on MPPT software for long term stability testing under various external conditions.
Education: Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Canada
Contact: jasons07@student.ubc.ca