Dr John RODRIGUEZ

Employment experience:

2021 – Now: Research Fellow (UNSW)

2019 – 2021: Passivated Contacts Team Leader (Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore, Singapore)

2017 – 2019: Project Manager (Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore, Singapore)

2014 – 2015: Freelance Technology Analyst and Content Writer (Solar Choice, Australia)

2013 – 2015: Part-time Energy Efficiency Engineer (Carbon Reduction Institute, Australia)

Education:

2010 – 2016: Doctor of Philosophy in Photovoltaic Engineering (UNSW)

2005 – 2009: Bachelor of Photovoltaics Engineering (UNSW)

Research interests:

• Passivated contacts for crystalline silicon solar cells

• Loss analysis and device modelling

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Why is your research important? 

Crystalline silicon solar cells with passivated contacts will be one of the most dominant and widely produced solar cell technologies in the coming decades. The development of high-efficiency passivated contact devices – and the next-generation materials needed for them – will drive the levelized cost of electricity to new lows and further cement photovoltaic energy’s place as the most cost-effective form of electricity generation we have available.

What do you like about research? 

The aspect of solar cell research I enjoy the most is seeing our ideas applied to solar cell design and fabrication. It’s fascinating seeing something evolve from an idea to proof-of-concept, and eventually to a commercially available product.

What do you like to do when you are not saving the world?

I enjoy exercising with my partner and friends, and I am always on the hunt for a good cup of coffee.