Dr. Arthur Nozik is a distinguished Physical Chemist and pioneering researcher in renewable energy technologies who currently holds the position of Research Professor Emeritus in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Colorado Boulder and Senior Research Fellow Emeritus at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. He earned his Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from Cornell University in 1959 and completed his PhD in Physical Chemistry at Yale University in 1967, establishing the foundation for his groundbreaking career in energy research. Before joining the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in 1978, then known as the Solar Energy Research Institute, he conducted research at Allied Chemical Corporation and American Cyanamid Corporation. Since 1998, he has maintained a strong academic affiliation with the University of Colorado as a Professor Adjoint, supervising numerous graduate students who conducted their thesis research at NREL, and transitioned to Research Professor at CU in 2016.
Dr. Nozik's seminal contributions to photoelectrochemistry and nanoscale semiconductor physics have fundamentally transformed renewable energy research, beginning with his introduction of the concept of photochemical diodes in 1978, an artificial photosynthesis approach that remains actively pursued worldwide. He experimentally verified quantization effects in one-dimensional semiconductor films and, in a landmark 1985 publication, his team was the first to report three-dimensional size-quantization effects in colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals, now known as quantum dots, work that laid the foundation for the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. His pioneering research on multiple exciton generation from single photons has opened pathways to significantly enhanced solar photon conversion efficiencies, with profound implications for next-generation photovoltaic technologies. With an impressive research record of over 241 publications, an h-index of 101, and more than 52,000 citations, his scientific impact extends across physical chemistry, materials science, and renewable energy engineering.
Beyond his direct research contributions, Dr. Nozik has profoundly influenced the renewable energy research ecosystem through leadership roles including Director of the Colorado Collaboratory for Renewable Energy and Associate Director of the Joint Los Alamos National Lab/NREL Energy Frontier Research Center. He has mentored generations of scientists, supervising numerous graduate students through the University of Colorado who conducted their research at NREL, thereby strengthening the vital academic-national laboratory partnership. In recognition of his enduring legacy, the Renewable & Sustainable Energy Institute established the annual Nozik Lecture Series in 2022, and he was recently elected as a member of the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2024. Despite his emeritus status, Dr. Nozik continues to shape the future of renewable energy research through his foundational work that guides current investigations into quantum effects for advanced solar photoconversion.
