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Ph.D., Materials Science and Engineering, MIT, 2007
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Lirong is a Postdoctoral Associate with the Microphotonics Center at MIT. Her major research field has been high efficiency solar cells through light trapping and novel optical and material design for clean energy application. She pioneered the research on the development of a new light trapping scheme-textured photonic crystal that can improve thin film solar cell efficiency by more than 50%. Additionally, she is working on light extraction enhancement in light emitting diodes through photonic design and new material implementation as well as developing structural color to replace certain organic pigments.
Before rejoining MIT in 2010 as a postdoctor, Lirong worked as a senior design engineer in Sensitron Semiconductor, Inc. for two years. She designed, fabricated, tested and packaged prototypes of various high reliability power electronics, including high voltage, ultrafast recovery diodes, high power transient voltage suppression and Zener diodes, and small signal diodes for space, aerospace, military and medical applications.
Prior to starting her Ph.D. program at MIT in 2001, she was doing research at National Laboratory of Magnetism, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and University of Science and Technology, Beijing during her M.S. program on enhancing magnetic exchange coupling in spin valve structures for high density magnetic recording. She conducted her bachelor's thesis research at Cluster Laboratory, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, studying the confining effect of nuclear track-etched pore on the growth of Fe nanowires.
Lirong's innovative research on high efficiency solar cells was featured multiple times by various media: in 2006 by Nature Photonics Research Highlights; in 2008 by Science Daily, Nano Technology, Global Solar Technology, MIT News Office, and other media as a significant breakthrough to boost solar cell efficiency; her talk in 2005 Spring MRS meeting in San Francisco was reported as Meeting Highlight News.
