Andrej Lenert

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
PhD Mechanical Engineering 2014
SM Mechanical Engineering 2010

University of Iowa
BSE Mechanical Engineering 2008

Lenert’s research group focuses on understanding light-matter interactions and developing nanostructured materials that control the direction and wavelength of radiative transport, with various applications in solar energy conversion, energy storage, sustainable chemical production and infrared sensing. Such control is important to many problems related to transforming the world’s energy system to one with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, including the lack of reliable and affordable renewable electricity and the growing need to decarbonize industry. His research team applies theoretical and computational tools to material design, implements advanced techniques for synthesis, fabrication, and characterization, and assesses device functional properties using custom-built experimental stations. Their path-breaking advances have led to large gains in light management in three areas: thermal photovoltaics, solar transparent aerogel materials, and robust nanophotonics.

For more details, please visit The Lenert Lab.

• Henry Russel Award – University of Michigan (U-M) Rackham Graduate School, 2023
• CAREER Award – National Science Foundation (NSF), 2022
• 1938E Award – U-M College of Engineering, 2022
• Department Outstanding Faculty Award – U-M Chemical Engineering, 2022
• Elected Division Director – AIChE Transport & Energy Processes, 2020
• Non-Tenured Faculty Award – 3M Foundation, 2020
• 1 of 10 Breakthrough Technologies – MIT Technology Review, 2017
• 30 Under 30 (Science) – Forbes, 2016

Please see Google Scholar or ORCID for a full list.

Selected publications (# indicates corresponding author):

• 1. Fan, D., Burger, T., McSherry, S., Lee, B., #Lenert, A. & #Forrest, S. R., “Near-perfect photon utilization in an air-bridge thermophotovoltaic cell,” Nature 586, 237 – 241 (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2717-7.
• 2. Burger, T., Sempere, C., Roy-Layinde, B. & #Lenert, A., “Present Efficiencies and Future Opportunities in Thermophotovoltaics,” Joule 4, 1660–1680 (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.joule.2020.06.021
• 3. Berquist, Z. J., Turaczy, K. K. & #Lenert, A., “Plasmon-Enhanced Greenhouse Selectivity for High-Temperature Solar Thermal Energy Conversion,” ACS Nano (2020). DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c04982
• 4. Kim, H., McSherry, S., Brown, B. & #Lenert, A., “Selectively Enhancing Solar Scattering for Direct Radiative Cooling through Control of Polymer Nanofiber Morphology,” ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces 12, 43553 – 43559 (2020). DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c09374
• 5. McSherry, S., Webb, M., Kaufman, J., Deng, Z., Davoodabadi, A., Ma, T., Kioupakis, E., Esfarjani, K., #Heron, J. T. & #Lenert, A., “Nanophotonic control of thermal emission under extreme temperatures in air,” Nature Nanotechnology 17, 1104–1110 (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41565-022-01205-1

• Graduate Recruiting Chair