ACT Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability, Mr Shane Rattenbury announced the recipients of the Solar Thesis Prize at the 2017 Solar Oration delivered by Ms Audrey Zibelman, CEO of the Australian Energy Market Operator at The Australian National University last night.
The recipients, PhD students Thomas Allen and The Duong, will each receive $1,000 from the Solar Energy Endowment fund, a fund established to support the awarding of PhD scholarships and research programs relating to renewable energy and water sustainability.
PhD student The Duong received his prize from Minister Rattenbury for his research in the development of high efficiency solar cells with the potential to reduce the cost of solar energy.
“I had wonderful experience working on my PhD project at ANU in the last three years. My supervisor and colleagues have been providing me outstanding support, which greatly contributes to the success of the project,” Mr Duong said.
Thomas Allen, who is currently working as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia said that undertaking his PhD at ANU was a deeply enriching experience.
“The direction and support received from my supervisor, Andres Cuevas, as well as the other academics, students and staff within the PV labs engendered a research environment within the PV group that is truly outstanding, and made it a real pleasure to work and study there.
Professor Kylie Catchpole from the ANU Research School of Electrical, Energy and Materials Engineering, congratulated the students on the contributions they have made to the photovoltaic research community.
“Both The Duong and Thomas Allen have produced outstanding work that advances the state-of-the-art in solar research, enhancing The Australian National University’s reputation as a world leader in photovoltaic technology.”