Graduate student receives fellowship for energy research

Zahra Sohrabpour, a graduate student working with Professor Aaron Massari, has received a ConocoPhillips fellowship for her research on improving solar cell performance.

Zahra is working on a project that involves assembling an unusual geometry of thin film solar cells. She has developed a physical vapor deposition chamber for subliming thin films onto surfaces with gradient thicknesses. She is studying the effect on solar cell performance by depositing gradients of various molecules between electron donor and acceptor layers.

ConocoPhillips provides $22,000 to the University of Minnesota for this fellowship.