Dr. Behrang H. Hamadani

Dr. Behrang H. Hamadani is a physicist and a technical staff member in the Heat Transfer and Alternative Energy Systems Group of the Energy and Environment Division (EED) of the Engineering Laboratory (EL) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Behrang joined the Heat Transfer and Alternative Energy Systems Group in November of 2010 after completing a two-year National Research Council (NRC) postdoctoral fellowship at the Semiconductor Electronics Division at NIST, followed by an additional two years of postdoctoral work at the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (also at NIST). During his postdoctoral tenure, he worked on a variety of projects including studying charge transport phenomena and contact effects in organic and inorganic thin film transistors and memory devices. More recently, he utilized a technique called photoconductive atomic force microscopy to study nanoscale morphology and local electronic properties of blended organic solar cells. His current research project and interests involve development of measurement science and techniques relevant to understanding, characterizing and predicting the performance of solar cells and modules. This includes development of fast and accurate spectral response measurements for large area solar cells, especially under high illumination conditions, as well as studying the role of defects and impurities particularly in thin film 2^nd generation PV technologies by use of electrical techniques such as impedance spectroscopy and optical measurements such as steady-state photoluminescence.

Dr. Hamadani received a B.S. in physics from University of Texas at Dallas (summa cum laude) in 2001, and a Ph.D. also in physics from Rice University (2007) under the guidance of Prof. Douglas Natelson. His dissertation work was titled, "Electronic Charge Injection and Transport in Organic Field-Effect Transistors". Behrang has published 22 peer-reviewed journal articles and has given over 10 invited presentations and 18 contributed talks on his research at national and international conferences, universities and industrial research labs. He is currently a member of the American Physical Society, and the Materials Research Society. He frequently serves as a reviewer for journal publications, as well as serving as a panelist on the National Science Foundation proposal review committees on topics related to energy, electronic materials and device physics. He also occasionally teaches fundamental physics courses to college students.