Education
BS National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan; PhD University of Pennsylvania, USA
Staff title
Lee Shau Kee Chair Professor of Materials Science
Chair Professor, Chemistry and Materials Science
Fellow, European Academy of Sciences
Member, Washington State Academy of Sciences?
Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science ?
Fellow, The Materials Research Society?
Fellow, The American Chemical Society?
Fellow, The American Chemical Society, Div. of Polymeric Materials Science & Engineering?
Fellow, The Optical Society of America?
Fellow, The International Society of Optical Engineering?
Professor Alex Jen is the Lee Shau Kee Chair Professor of Materials Science and Chair Professor of Chemistry and Materials Science of the City University of Hong Kong. He had also served as the Provost of CityU during 2016-2020. He received his B.S. from the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in USA. Before arriving the CityU, he served as the Boeing-Johnson Chair Professor and Chair of the Department of Materials Science & Engineering at the University of Washington, Seattle. He was also appointed as Chief Scientist for the Clean Energy Institute endowed by the Washington State Governor. He is a distinguished researcher with more than 950 publications, 67,000 citations, and an H-index of 131. He has co-invented 63 patents and invention disclosures. His interdisciplinary research covers organic/hybrid functional materials and devices for photonics, energy, sensors, and nanomedicine.
For his pioneering contributions in organic photonics and electronics, Professor Jen was elected as an Academician by both the European Academy of Sciences and the Washington State Academy of Sciences. He is also a Fellow of several professional societies, including AAAS, MRS, ACS, PMSE, OSA, SPIE. He was named by the Times Higher Education (THE) in 2018 as one of the “Top 10 university researchers in Perovskite Solar Cell Research”. In addition, he was recognized by Thomson Reuters as one of the "World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds of 2015 and 2016 and as a "Highly Cited researcher" in materials science from 2014-2020.
He was also appointed as the Changjiang Endowed Chair by the Ministry of Education, Chair Professor (Zhejiang Univ.), the World Class University Professor by the Korean Research Foundation, and the Distinguished Chair Professor by the National Taiwan University. He also demonstrated strong capability in technology transfer involving in four start-up companies, and was the founder of the Institute of Advanced Materials for Energy (i-AME) of the University of Washington.
Professional ExperienceLee Shau Kee Chair Professor, City University of Hong Kong, 2020-Current
Chair Professor, City University of Hong Kong, 2016-Current
Provost, City University of Hong Kong, 2016-2020
Chief Scientist, Clean Energy Institute, Univ. of Washington, 2013-2016
Chair, Dept. of Materials Science & Engineering, Univ. of Washington, 2007-2016
Director, Institute of Advanced Materials for Energy, 2011-2016
Director, Institute for Advanced Materials & Technology, Univ. of Washington, 2006-2011
Acting Chair, Dept. of Materials Science & Engineering, Univ. of Washington, 2005-2007
Boeing-Johnson Chair Professor, Dept. of Materials Science & Engineering, Univ. of Washington, 2000-2016
Associate Professor, Dept. of Chemistry, Northeastern Univ., Boston, MA., 1997-1999
Vice President, Optical Materials Division, ROI Technology, 1995-1996
Group Leader-Senior Scientist, NLO Materials, EniChem America, 1990-1994
Project Leader-Principal Scientist, Advanced Materials Laboratory, EniChem America, 1988-1990
Research Scientist, Specialty Polymers Department, Allied-Signal Inc., 1984-1988
Prizes/HonoursPatents & Invention Records: 63
Publications: >950
H-index: 131
Citations: >67,000
Name by Times Higher Education (THE) as one of the “Top 10 Researchers in the World Working on Perovskite Solar Cells”.
Named toThe World’s Most Influential Scientific Mindsby Thomson Reuters, 2015, 2016
Honorary Professor,National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan, ROC, 2017
Distinguished Alumni Award, College of Science, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan, ROC, 2017
BK21+ Distinguished Professor,Korea University, 2015-2019
Distinguished Chair Professor, Materials Science & Engineering, National Taiwan University, 2013
MRS Fellow, The Materials Research Society, 2012
Chair Professor, Polymer Science & Engineering, Zhejiang University, China, 2012
Member, Washington State Academy of Sciences, 2011
ACS Fellow, The American Chemical Society, 2011
World-Class University Professor, Korea University, Korean Research Foundation, Korea, 2009
Honorary Professor, East China University of Science & Technology, China, 2009
PMSE Fellow, The American Chemical Society, Div. of Polymeric Materials Science & Engineering, 2009
Board of Directors, Washington Technology Center, Appointed by Governor of Washington State, 2007
Faculty of Research Innovator Award, College of Engineering, University of Washington, 2007
Changjiang Endowed Chair Professor, Ministry of Education, China, 2007
OSA Fellow, The Optical Society of America, 2007
SPIE Fellow, The International Society of Optical Engineering, 2006
AAAS Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2005
Member of Advisory Board, Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taiwan, 2002-Present
Boeing-Johnson Endowed Chair, University of Washington, 1999-Present
Industrial Fellow(rank as full professor), Northwestern University, 1995-2000
Founder’s Award, ROITech, 1995
Outstanding Achievement Award, EniChem America, 1994
President’s Award, EniChem America, 1989
Rohm & Hass Research Fellowship, Dept. of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, 1981
Editor or Editorial MembershipEditor, IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics
Editorial Advisory Board Member, ACS Chemistry of Materials, NPG-Asia Materials, Journal of the Experimental Nanoscience, Solar RRL, Materials Today-Nano
Advisory Board Member, Energy Frontier Research Center, Univ. of Michigan
Advisory Board Member, Material Synthesis, Simulation Across Scales, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Chair of the Advisory Board, The Transformative Materials Initiative, The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 2007-2016
Board of Directors, The Washington Technology Center, appointed by the Washington State Governor
Advisory Board Member, College of Arts & Science, National Chiao-Tung University, Taiwan
Advisory Board Member, Institute of Chemistry, Academic Sinica, Taiwan
Other Information
Selected Publications from >950 SCI Papers
(citations: >67,000, h-index: 131)“The coupling and competition of crystallization and phase separation, correlating thermodynamics and kinetics in OPV morphology and performance”, Z. Wang, K. Gao, Y. Kan, M. Zhang, C. Qiu, L. Zhu, Z. Zhao, X. Peng, W. Feng, Z. Qian, X. Gu, A. K.-Y. Jen, B. Z. Tang, Y. Cao, Y. Zhang, and F. Liu,Nature Commun.,2021,12, 332.
“Pseudo-Bilayer Architecture Enables High-Performance Organic Solar Cells with Enhanced Exciton Diffusion Length”, K. Jiang, J. Zhang, Z. Peng, F. Lin, S. Wu, Z. Li, Y. Chen, H. Yan, H. Ade, Z. Zhu, and A. K.-Y. Jen,Nature Commun.,2021,12, 468.
“2D Metal–Organic Framework for Stable Perovskite Solar Cells with Minimized Lead Leakage”, S. Wu, Z. Li, M. Li, Y. Diao, F. Lin, T. Liu, J. Zhang, P. Tieu, W. Gao, F. Qi, X. Pan, Z. T. Xu, Z. Zhu, A.K. Y. Jen,Nature Nanotech,2020,15(11), 934.
“Highly Efficient All-inorganic Perovskite Solar Cells with Suppressed Non-radiative Recombination by a Lewis Base”, J. Wang, J. Zhang, Y. Zhou, H. Liu, Q. Xue, X. S. Li, C-C. Chueh, H-L. Yip, Z. Zhu, A. K-Y. Jen,Nature Commun.,2020,11,177.
“Water-resistant perovskite nanodots enable robust two-photon lasing in aqueous environment”, S. Li, D. Lei, W. Ren, X. Guo, S. Wu, Y. Zhu, A. L. Rogach , M. Chhowalla and A. K.-Y. Jen,Nature Commun.,2020,11(1), 1192.
"Non-fullerene acceptors for organic solar cells
Kinetic Control of Recombination in Organic Photovoltaics: The Role of Spin”, A. Rao, P. C. Y. Chow, S. Gélinas-,C. W. Schlenker,C.-Z. Li, H.-L. Yip, D. S. Ginger, A. K-Y. Jen,R. H. Friend,Nature,2013,500,435.
"Flexible and Twistable Non-Volatile Memory Cell Array with All Organic One Diode-One Resistor Architecture”, Y. Ji, D. F. Zeigler, D. S. Lee, H. Choi, A. K.-Y. Jen, H. C. Ko, and T.-W. Kim,Nature Commun.,2013,4,2707.
"Confining and Controlling Photoreactive Molecules
Record Electro-optic Coefficient of 170 pm/V and Vπof 1V at 1.55 μm in Hybrid Crosslinkable Polymer/Sol-gel Waveguide Modulators
Terahertz All-Optical Modulator in Silicon
Molecular Biomimetics: Nanotechnology through Biology
Design and Synthesis of Chromophores and Polymers for Electro-optic and Photorefractive Applications
Recent Advances in Molecular Design of Functional Conjugated Polymers for High-Performance Polymer Solar Cells”, Z. Li, C.-C. Chueh, A. K.-Y. Jen”,Prog. Polym. Sci.,2019,99, 101175.
“Regulating Surface Termination for Efficient Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells with over 23% Efficiency”, F. Li, X. Deng, F. Qi, Z. Li, D. Liu, D. Shen, M. Qin, S. Wu, F. Lin, S. H. Jang, J. Zhang, X. Lu, D. Lei, C-S. Lee, Z. Zhu, and A. K.-Y. Jen,J. Am. Chem. Soc.,2020,4, 1248.
“A Non-Fullerene Acceptor with Enhanced Intermolecular π-Core Interaction for High-Performance Organic Solar Cells”, F. Lin, K. Jiang, W. Kaminsky, Z. Zhu, A. K-Y. Jen,J. Am. Chem. Soc.2020,142(36), 15246.
"Cationic Polyelectrolyte for Anionic Cyanines: An Efficient Way To Translate Molecular Properties into Material Properties”, Z. Li, A. A. Syed, P. Zhao, J. C. Yang, R. Sharma, T. R. Ensley, J. D. Matichak, I. Davydenko, S.-H. Jang, D. J. Hagan, S. R. Marder, E. W. Van Stryland, and A. K.-Y. Jen,J. Am. Chem. Soc.,2019,141 (43),17331.
"Long-lived, non-geminate, radiative recombination of photogenerated charges in a Polymer/Small-molecule acceptor photovoltaic blend
Dithienopicenocarbazole-based acceptors for efficient organic solar cells with optoelectronic response over 1000 nm and an extremely low energy loss
A Dopant-Free Hole-Transporting Material with aC3hSymmetrical Truxene Core for Highly Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells”, C. Huang, W. F. Fu, C.-Z. Li, Z. Q. Zhang, W. M. Qiu, M. M. Shi, P. Heremans, A. K.-Y. Jen, and H. Z. Chen,J. Am. Chem. Soc.2016,138 (8), 2528.
"Rational Design of Dipolar Chromophore with Intrinsic Radical Character as an Efficient Dopant-free Hole-Transporting Material for Perovskite Solar Cells”, Z. Li, Z. Zhu, C.-C. Chueh, S. B. Jo,J. D. Luo, S.-H. Jiang, A. K.-Y. Jen,J. Am. Chem. Soc.,2016,138, 11833.
"Facile Incorporation of Pd(PPh3)2Hal Substituents into Polymethines, Merocyanines, and Perylene Diimides as a Means of Suppressing Intermolecular Interactions”,I. Davydenko, S. Barlow, R. Sharma, S. Benis, J. Simon, T. Allen, M. Cooper, V. Khrustalev, E. Jucov, R. Casta?eda, C. Ordonez, Z. Li, S.-H. Chi, S.-H. Jang, T. Parker, T. Timofeeva, J. W. Perry, A. K.-Y. Jen, D. J. Hagan, E. Van Stryland, and S. R. Marder,J. Am. Chem. Soc.,2016,138, 10112.
"Supramolecular Assembly of Complementary Cyanine Salt J-Aggregates”, Z. Li,S. Mukhopadhyay,S.-H. Jang,J.-L. Brédas,and A. K.-Y. Jen,J. Am. Chem. Soc.,2015,137, 11920.
"Influence of Regio- and Chemo-selectivity on the Properties of Fluoro-Substituted Thienothiophene and Benzodithiophene Copolymers”, H. Zhong, C.-Z. Li, J. Carpenter,H. Ade,and A. K.-Y. Jen,J. Am. Chem. Soc.,2015,137, 7616.
"Crystalline Co-assemblies of Functional Fullerenes in Methanol with Enhanced Charge Transport”, J. Zhang, C.-Z. Li, S. Williams, S. Liu, T. Zhao, and A. K-Y. Jen,J. Am. Chem. Soc.,2015,137,2167.
"Tailor-making low-cost spiro[fluorene-9,9′-xanthene]-based 3D oligomers for perovskite solar cells
Fullerene-anchored core-shell ZnO nanoparticles for efficient and stable dual-sensitized perovskite solar cells
Organic Semiconductors at the University of Washington: Advancements in Materials Design and Synthesis and toward Industrial Scale Production
Over 12% efficiency nonfullerene all-small-molecule organic solar cells with sequentially evolved multilength scale morphologies
Highly efficient semitransparent solar cells with selective absorption and tandem architecture
Intensive exposure of functional rings of a polymeric hole-transporting material enables efficient perovskite solar cells
Toward perovskite solar cell commercialization: A perspective and research roadmap based on interfacial engineering
Tackling energy loss for high-efficiency organic solar cells with integrated multiple strategies
Realizing efficient lead-free formamidinium tin triiodide perovskite solar cells via a sequential deposition route
Ideal bandgap Organic–Inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells
Highly efficient porphyrin-based OPV/Perovskite hybrid solar cells with extended photoresponse and high fill factor
High-efficiency nonfullerene organic solar cells with a parallel tandem configuration
Highly efficient Perovskite–Perovskite tandem solar cells reaching 80% of the theoretical limit in photovoltage
SrCl2derived perovskite facilitating a high efficiency of 16% in hole-conductor-free fully printable mesoscopic perovskite solar cells
Toward all room-temperature, solution-processed, high-performance planar perovskite solar cells: A new scheme of pyridine-promoted perovskite formation
CuGaO2: A promising inorganic hole-transporting material for highly efficient and stable perovskite solar cells
Rigidifying Nonplanar Perylene Diimides by Ring Fusion Toward Geometry-Tunable Acceptors for High-Performance Fullerene-Free Solar Cells”, H. L. Zhong, C.-H. Wu, C.-Z. Li, J. Carpenter, C.-C. Chueh, H. Ade, and A. K.-Y. Jen,Adv. Mater.,2016,28(5), 951.
"Fluorescent Mechanical Damage Sensors for Epoxy Composites by Mechanochemical Activation”, Z. Li, R. Toivola, F. Ding, J. Yang,P. N. Lai, T. Howie,G. Georgeson, S.-H. Jang, X. S. Li, B. D. Flinn, and A. K.-Y. Jen,Adv. Mater.,2016,28, 6592.
"Highly Efficient Organic Solar Cells with Improved Vertical Donor-Acceptor Compositional Gradient via an Inverted Off-Center Spinning Method”, J. Huang, J. Carpenter, C. Z. Li, J.-S. Yu, H. Ade, and A. K-Y. Jen,Adv. Mater.,2016,28(5), 967.
"Highly Efficient and Stable Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells using Highly Crystalline SnO2Nanocrystals as the Robust Electron-Transporting Layer”, Z. L. Zhu, Y. Bai, X. Liu, C.-C. Chueh, S. H. Yang, and A. K.-Y. Jen,Adv. Mater.,2016,28, 6478.
"A Low-Temperature, Solution-Processable, Cu-Doped Nickel Oxide Hole-Transporting Layer via the Combustion Method for High-Performance Thin-Film Perovskite Solar Cells“, J. W. Jung, C.C. Chueh, A. K-Y. Jen,Adv. Mater.,2015, 27, 7874.
"High-Performance and Environmentally Stable Planar Heterojunction Perovskite Solar Cells Based on a Solution-Processed Copper-Doped Nickel Oxide Hole Transporting Layer”, J. H. Kim, P.-W. Liang, S. T. Williams, N. Cho, C.-C. Chueh, M. S. Glaz, D. S. Ginger, and A. K.-Y. Jen,Adv. Mater.,2015, 27(4), 695.
"Fluoro-Substituted n-Type Conjugated Polymer for Additive-Free All-Polymer Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells with Efficiency of 6.71%”, J. W. Jung, J. Woong Jo, C.-C. Chueh, F. Liu, W. H. Jo, T. P. Russelland A. K.-Y. Jen,Adv. Mater.,2015, 7(21), 3310.
"Ag-incorporated organic-inorganic perovskite films and planar heterojunction solar cells
Hexaazatrinaphthylene Derivatives: Efficient Electron-Transporting Materials with Tunable Energy Levels for Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells”,D. B. Zhao, Z. Zhu, M.-Y. Kuo, C.-C. Chueh, and A. K.-Y. JenAngew. Chem. Int. Ed.,2016,55,1.
Staff Image
Contact Information
Office:YEUNG-G5756
Phone:+(852)-3442-8451
Fax:+(852)-3442-8472
Email:alexjen@cityu.edu.hk
Research Interests
Utilizing molecular, polymeric, and biomacromolecular self-assembly to create ordered arrangement of organic and inorganic functional materials for photonics, opto-electronics, nanomedicine, and nanotechnology.
Employing the “molecular engineering” approach to tailor size, shape, sequence, and functionality of organic/hybrid functional materials and explore their applications.
