Category: Education & employment

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Senior Science and Technology Fellow

The 2020 mission of the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy SunShot initiative is to make solar energy cost competitive with respect to traditional sources.

I am part of the Tech to Market team. I support the creation, negotiation, execution, and monitoring of funding opportunities for start-ups as well as large companies with the goal of commercializing new innovation in the solar community. I support the management of a $20M portfolio of awards designed to develop new technologies covering the entire value chain of the solar industry, from hardware to software solutions, to new business models for soft cost reductions. I am also involved in the negotiation and execution of awards funding solar energy technology evolution and diffusion studies.

In addition, I am part of an internal evaluation team with the goal of establishing procedures based on quantifiable metrics to measure the success and impact of the office funding opportunities. I also contribute to the definition of strategic office decisions (development of new funding opportunities, definition of an investment thesis for the team and long-term office mission and goals).

The Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Science and Technology Policy (STP) Fellowships serve as a next step in the educational and professional development of scientists and engineers interested in energy efficiency and renewable energy policy. The EERE STP Fellowships provide an opportunity for highly talented scientists and engineers to participate in policy-related projects at DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in Washington, D.C. EERE STP Fellows apply the expertise gained from their education and history of conducting research to new and ongoing EERE initiatives.

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Group facilitator

Selected as group facilitator for the “Management Matters” class organized and offered by the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education at Stanford University. Management Matters is one of several VPGE workshops designed to help graduate students develop a range of skills needed in any professional environment. Offered in Winter 2016, Management Matters consists of three sessions focused on managing people: working with different communication styles; setting expectations; and giving and receiving feedback.

As a facilitator, I am responsible for a group of attendees during break-out sessions. These sessions include participatory activities involving challenging scenarios and developing strategies for effectively managing people at various levels of an organization.

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Moving technology to the market

Moving technology form the research lab to everyday life. This is my goal.
I was admitted in the Stanford iFarm program during Winter 2014. The Stanford Innovation Farm Teams Project seeks to improve success and overall efficiency of the commercialization of Stanford-owned inventions while providing an educational experience to iFarm Team participants. Participation in the iFarm Team Project provides individuals with a unique educational experience and opportunity to network in highly competitive industries.

Energy savings is the first and most important energy source. The interest of my team and mine is to find new solutions for energy awareness in residential buildings. We worked on a technology aimed to evaluate thermal building properties, predict energy consumption and claim carbon credits: A method and process to quantify energy savings and carbon offsets real­time for buildings. We explored the potential market segments, establishing for each one value propositions, partners, streams of revenue. We also designed a possible way to implement the technological platform associated with our patent.

Here is our final presentation for the program: Stanford OTL iFarm program - Team 4.

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Stanford University

I joined Stanford University in September 2013 and I was a PostDoctoral Scholar in the group of Prof. Mark Brongersma till May 2016. This is one of the best environments I have been working in during my professional life. Located in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley, it is really one of the world’s leading teaching and research universities. I tried to take advantages of as many as possible opportunities offered by the Farm.

My research project focuses on improving the existing solar cells and make them cheaper and a real alternative to traditional energy sources. My project here is funded by 3Sun / Enel Green Power / ST Microelectronics and the US Department of Energy through the Bay Area PhotoVoltaic Consortium.

Publication output

Patent

  • Broadband, polarization-independent, omnidirectional, metamaterial-based antireflection coating for solar cells
    M. L. Brongersma, C. E. A. Cordaro, E. F. Pecora
    Provisional patent

Leadership experience

Leadership formation

  • Admitted at Adventures in Design Thinking: A d.school Experience class offered by the Stanford Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education (Summer 2015)
  • Admitted at The Improviser’s Mindset class offered by the Stanford Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education (Summer 2014)
  • Negotiation skills class, offered by the Stanford Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
  • Future Faculty Seminar INDE/CTL231 class, offered by the Stanford University
  • iRite/iSpeak course, offered by the Stanford Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
  • Stanford future leaders: Mentoring Workshop, offered by the Stanford Office of Postdoctoral Affairs

Invited talk

Conference participation

  • BAPVC meeting Spring 2013 – Stanford University
  • BAPVC meeting Fall 2013 – UC Berkeley
  • MRS Spring meeting 2014 – San Francisco, CA (USA) Poster presentation
  • BAPVC meeting Spring 2014 – Stanford University
  • BAPVC meeting Fall 2014 – UC Berkeley
  • BAPVC meeting Spring 2015 – Stanford University
  • MRS Fall meeting 2014 – Boston, MA (USA) Oral presentation
    Watch my presentation at MRS Fall meeting with MRS On Demand.
  • MRS Spring meeting 2015 – San Francisco, CA (USA) Oral presentation
  • MRS Fall meeting 2015 – Boston, MA (USA) Oral presentation
  • MRS Spring meeting 2016 – Phoenix, AZ (USA) Oral presentation

For download

Teaching activity

  • Guest lecturer for the CHEM26N class (The What, Why, How and wow’s of Nanotechnology) at Stanford University, Spring 2015 semester
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Boston University

PostDoctoral Associate at the Photonics Center of Boston University from 2011, March to 2013, August.

Research projects

Publication output

Conference proceedings

  • Integration of metallic nanostructures on nanowires for modification of their optical properties
    A. Casadei, E. Alarcon-Llado, E. F. Pecora, J. Trevino, C. Forestiere, D. Ruffer, E. Russo-Averchi, F. Matteini, G. Tutuncuoglu, M. Heiss, L. Dal Negro, A. Fontcuberta i Morral
    Frontiers in Nanophotonics, CSF Conference 2015
  • Second harmonic excitation spectroscopy in studies of Fano-type coupling in plasmonic arrays
    G. F. Walsh, J. Tervino, E. F. Pecora, L. Dal Negro
    SPIE Optics + Photonics 2015
  • Engineering light coupling in single nanowire with metal nano-antennas
    A. Casadei, J. Trevino, E. F. Pecora, E. Alarcò- Lladò, D. Ruffer, E. Russo-Averchi, G. Tutuncuoglu, F. Matteini, C. Forestiere, L. Dal Negro, A. Fontcuberta i Morral
    International Conference on One dimensional Nanomaterials ICON 2013
  • Second-harmonic generation from plasmonic nanoantennas and arrays
    A. Capretti, C. Forestiere, E. F. Pecora, G. Walsh, J. Trevino, S. Minissale, L. Dal Negro, G. Miano
    The International Conference on Surface Plasmon Photonics SPP6
  • Sub-250nm room temperature optical gain from AlGaN materials with strong compositional fluctuations
    E. F. Pecora, W. Zhang, H. Sun, A. Yu. Nikiforov, J. Yin, R. Paiella, T. D. Moustakas, L. Dal Negro
    Bulletin of the American Physical Society, vol. 58, V1.00111
  • Second-harmonic generation in substoichiometric silicon nitride layers
    E. F. Pecora, A. Capretti, G. Miano, L. Dal Negro
    Bulletin of the American Physical Society, vol. 58, V1.00119
  • Rare-earth doped Si-rich ZnO for multiband near-infrared light emitting devices
    E. F. Pecora, T. I. Murphy, L. Dal Negro
    Bulletin of the American Physical Society, vol. 58, C23.00004
  • Nanopatterning of optically-active silicon nanowires
    E. F. Pecora, N. Lawrence, P. Gregg, J. Trevino, P. Artoni, A. Irrera, F. Priolo, L. Dal Negro
    Frontiers in Optics (FiO) – Novel Silicon Waveguides and Nanophotonics (FM4E)
  • Sub-250nm room temperature optical gain from AlGaN/AlN multiple quantum wells structures
    E. F. Pecora, W. Zhang, L. Zhou, D. J. Smith, J. Yin, R. Paiella, L. Dal Negro, T. D. Moustakas
    CLEO: Science and Innovations, CTh3D, CTh3D.5
  • Sub-250nm room-temperature optical gain from AlGaN/AlN multiple quantum dot structures
    E. F. Pecora, W. Zhang, L. Zhou, D. J. Smith, J. Yin, R. Paiella, L. Dal Negro, T. D. Moustakas
    Bulletin of the American Physical Society, vol. 57
  • Room temperature low threshold stimulated emission of electron beam-pumped AlGaN-based deep UV laser structures emitting below 250 nm
    A. Nikiforov, W. Zhang, J. Woodward, J. Yin, E. Pecora, L. Zhou, L. Dal Negro, R. Paiella, D. Smith, T. Moustakas, A. Moldawer
    Bulletin of the American Physical Society, vol. 57

Conference participation

  • APS March Meeting 2013 – Baltimore, MD (USA) March 18 – 22, 2013 Poster presentation, Session V1
  • APS March Meeting 2013 – Baltimore, MD (USA) March 18 – 22, 2013 Poster presentation, Session V1
  • APS March Meeting 2013 – Baltimore, MD (USA) March 18 – 22, 2013 Oral presentation, Session C23
  • MRS Fall Meeting 2012 – Boston, MA (USA) November 25 – 30, 2012 Oral presentation, Symposium DD
  • MRS Fall Meeting 2012 – Boston, MA (USA) November 25 – 30, 2012 Oral presentation, Symposium DD
  • MRS Fall Meeting 2012 – Boston, MA (USA) November 25 – 30, 2012 Poster presentation, Symposium Z
  • CLEO Conference 2012 – San Jose, CA (USA) May 6 – 11, 2012 Oral presentation, Session “Low-dimensional Photonic Structures”
  • APS March Meeting 2012 – Boston, MA (USA) February 27 – March 2, 2012 Oral presentation, Session L28

Leadership experience

  • Laboratory Safety Coordinator for the Boston University Research Compliance – Environmental Health & Safety (2011 – 2013)

Teaching activity

  • Substitute lecturer for the EC471 class (Physics of Semiconductor Devices) at Boston University, Spring 2012 semester
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Centro Siciliano di Fisica Nucleare e Struttura della Materia

PostDoc Fellow at MATIS Labs. granted by Centro Siciliano di Fisica Nucelare e Struttura della Materia on Growth and Characterization of Si and Ge Nanowires from 2009, November through 2010, December.

Research projects

  • Growth and characterization of Si and Ge nanowires, funded by Centro Siciliano di Fisica Nucleare e Struttura della Materia (2009, November – 2010, December)

Publication output

Book / Book chapter

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PhD in Physics

PhD in Physics, cum laude at University of Catania and MATIS Labs.
Thesis title: Growth, properties and processing of group IV semiconductor nanowires
Advisor: prof. Francesco Priolo
Date: 2010, February 15

Publication output

Book / Book chapter

Conference participation

  • E-MRS Fall Meeting 2010 – Warsaw (PL) September 13-17, 2010 Oral presentation, Symposium E
  • International School on “Materials for Renewable Energies” – Erice (TP, Italy) May 28 – June 2, 2010 Poster session
  • E-MRS 2009 – Strasbourg (F) June 8-12, 2009 Oral presentation, Symposium I
  • NODE International Summer School – Cortona (AR, Italy) July 1-5, 2008 Poster session
  • XV International Winter School on “New Developments in Solid State Physics” – Bad HofGastein (Salzburg, AT) February 18-22, 2008
  • XIII National School of Materials Science – Bressanone (Bz, Italy) September 30 – October 9, 2007 Poster session
  • XV International conference on “Ion Beam Modification of Materials” – Taormina (ME, Italy) September 18-22, 2006 Poster session

Leadership experience

  • Representative of Ph. D. Students in the Physics and Astronomy Department Council of the Catania University (2008 – 2009)
  • Webmaster of www.matis.imm.cnr.it (2006 – 2011)