Dr. Harry Atwater is a distinguished leader in sustainable energy research, currently serving as the Director of the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis and the Howard Hughes Professor of Applied Physics and Materials Science at the California Institute of Technology. He holds the prestigious Otis Booth Leadership Chair of the Division of Engineering and Applied Science, reflecting his significant institutional impact and leadership in the field. Atwater received his S.B. (1981), S.M. (1983), and Ph.D. (1987) in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, establishing a strong foundation in engineering principles that would propel his pioneering career. He joined the Caltech faculty in 1988 and rapidly ascended to prominent leadership roles including Director of the Resnick Sustainability Institute, Caltech's largest endowed research program focused on energy solutions.
Dr. Atwater's groundbreaking research centers around two interwoven themes: photovoltaics and solar energy, and plasmonics and optical metamaterials, where he is recognized as an early pioneer who gave the name to the field of plasmonics in 2001. His work has resulted in world records for solar photovoltaic conversion efficiency and photoelectrochemical water splitting, demonstrating exceptional practical applications of fundamental science to address global energy challenges. As founder and chief technical advisor for Alta Devices, he has driven the development of transformational high-efficiency/low-cost photovoltaic technology that now holds the world records for solar module efficiency and single junction cell efficiency. His innovative approaches to light management in solar cells have been featured in premier scientific journals including Science, Nature Materials, and Nature Photonics, establishing him as a global authority in sustainable energy solutions.
Beyond his research achievements, Dr. Atwater has significantly shaped the scientific community through his leadership as Editor-in-Chief of ACS Photonics and founder of the Gordon Research Conference on Plasmonics, which he chaired in 2008. His exceptional contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors including election to the National Academy of Engineering in 2015, the ENI Award in Renewable and Nonconventional Energy in 2012, and the SPIE Green Photonics Award. Currently, his energy research centers on advancing high-efficiency photovoltaics, carbon capture and removal technologies, and photoelectrochemical processes for solar fuel generation, with the founding of Captura to develop scalable ocean-based carbon dioxide removal approaches. Dr. Atwater continues to pioneer innovative solutions at the intersection of materials science and sustainable energy, positioning his work at the forefront of global efforts to address climate change through technological innovation.
