Dr. Kai Wang joined CEHMS, Virginia Tech as a Postdoctoral Associate in 2017 after his graduation from The University of Akron. In the fall of 2018, Kai joined Pennsylvania State University as a Research Assistant Professor in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, Department of Materials Science and Engineering. His research interests include halide perovskite photovoltaics, two-dimensional multiple quantum well physics, and bioelectronics. Dr. Shashank Priya currently serves as the Associate Vice President for Research and Director, Strategic Initiatives at Pennsylvania State University. He is a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Pennsylvania State University and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech. Priya's research focuses on the intersection of multifunctional materials, bio-inspired systems and technologies, and energy harvesting and storage. As the principal investigator, he leads multiple programs targeting the development of thermoelectrics, photovoltaics, piezoelectrics, and other emerging energy-conversion and storage devices. Dr. Dong Yang worked with Professor Shengzhong (Frank) Liu in Shaanxi Normal University, China since 2014 and became a full professor in 2017. Dong joined Virginia Tech in 2017 and moved to Pennsylvania State University in the fall of 2018 as Research Assistant Professor. His research interests include solar cells, semiconductor materials, materials science, and engineering of graphene carbon materials. Dr. Congcong Wu has led the solar cell team in CEHMS, Virginia Tech since 2014. In the fall of 2018, Congcong joined Pennsylvania State University as Research Associate Professor. His research mainly focuses on developing next-generation photovoltaic systems for clean and efficient energy conversion. Dr. Joe Shapter received his PhD in Reaction Dynamics from the University of Toronto in 1990. He subsequently held an NSERC Fellowship at The University of Western Ontario before moving to Australia in 1996 to take up a position at Flinders University. Joe served as Dean of the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences for 6.5 years and headed the Flinders involvement in both the Australian Microscopy and Microanalysis Research Facility (AMMRF) and the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF), and was SA Director for AMMRF. His major interests are in the area of novel nanomaterial production, nanometer-scale characterization of these materials, and their applications in, for example, sensors or solar cells. The realization of ultrahigh solar conversion efficiency is the defining problem of photovoltaics. Single-/mono-crystalline halide perovskite photovoltaic technology provides the avenue toward this target by virtue of their intrinsic distinguished electronic properties. Current advances in epitaxial synthesis of single-crystalline halide perovskite films/wafers, and innovations in strategic device designs, point toward an opportunity for a true breakthrough in solar cell performance. We posit that mono-crystalline perovskite photovoltaics technology has the first-mover advantage in future energy deployment. © 2018 Elsevier Inc.
