Shachar Richter, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Tel Aviv University

Speech Title:

Bio-inspired photovoltaics

Abstract:

Proteins form the very basis of life. They regulate a variety of activities in all known organisms, from replication of the genetic code to transporting oxygen, and are generally responsible for regulating the cellular machinery and determining the phenotype of an organism.With this respect it is intriguing to explore the photovoltaic properties of light harvesting proteins. The Photosystem I (PSI) member of this family exhibits extraordinary properties in its natural environment. During the last few years we explored its photo-voltaic properties while embedded in solid-state devices. In this talk, the results of this study will be introduced.

Bio:

Assoc. Prof. Shachar Richter is a faculty member at the newly-established Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Tel Aviv University. He earned his BSc in Chemistry from Tel-Aviv University and his MSc and PhD (Chemical Physics and Materials Science) from The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot. During 1998-2001 Dr. Richter was a postdoctoral scholar and a staff member (MTS) at Bell-Laboratories (NJ, USA). In 2001 he joined Tel-Aviv University where he established the Nano-Electronics lab at the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, as a core member of the Center. During 2003-3013 he was a faculty member at the School of Chemistry. Prof Richter is the author of more than 55 peer reviewed publications and patents. His current research interests are molecular- and bio-electronics, bio-nanocomposites and novel patterning technologies. His group consists of ~10 members, including graduate students, postdocs and engineers with diverse backgrounds in chemistry, biology, physics and engineering.