Jeff Blackburn Email and Phone Number

Group Manager, Materials PhysicsManage a group of full-time scientists, post-doctoral researchers, and graduate students. Responsible for project management/oversight, business development, hiring/recruiting, personnel and performance management, mentoring and professional development, capability management and development, safety and training. Group size varies, but is typically in the range of ~30 - 35.

Group Manager, Spectroscopy and Photoscience Group.Manage a group of full-time scientists, post-doctoral researchers, and graduate students. Responsible for project management/oversight, business development, hiring/recruiting, personnel and performance management, mentoring and professional development, capability management and development, safety and training. Group size varies, but is typically in the range of ~30 - 35.

I am currently a senior scientist at NREL, leading projects that focus on a variety of fundamental and applied research topics. My work focuses on the synthesis and characterization of a variety of novel materials and incorporation of these materials into sustainable energy technologies. Materials discovery and research includes single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), metal-halide perovskite based semiconductors, bio-hybrid material systems (e.g. nanomaterial/bacteria or nanomaterial/enzyme interfaces) and other organic/inorganic hybrid systems. In terms of the use inspiration for my materials research, my group works on understanding how these materials function in, and can enable, novel energy conversion and storage devices and applications. These devices/applications include photovoltaics, thermoelectric energy harvesting, batteries, solar fuel generation, energy-efficient computing, biological fuel production, and fuel cells.

Studied hydrogen storage in nanostructured carbon materials, including single-walled carbon nanotubes and activated carbons. Also studied effects of chemical and substitutional doping on SWCNT optical and electrical properties.