National Cheng Kung Univerisity (NCKU)

Cheng’s Laboratory of Photoelectrochemistry & Optoelectronics

Wen-Hui (Sophia) Cheng
https://sophiasophia0701.wixsite.com/clpo

Research Field

Materials Engineering

Introduction

Wen-Hui (Sophia) Cheng received her B.S. and M.S. degrees from National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan, and pursed her Ph.D. from Caltech, all in Materials Science. During her Ph.D. research under the guidance of Prof. Harry Atwater, she focused on mesoscale design of photoelectrochemical fuel cells as part of the Joint Center of Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP). Afterward, she joined Professor Dionne’s group as TomKat Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University. She has extensive experience with semiconductor nanofabrication and material characterization, in addition to optical simulations and device physics. She has made an integrated device for splitting water with sunlight to make hydrogen fuel, and also demonstrated a gas diffusion electrode for CO2 reduction to generate CO from solar energy, both with record efficiencies at the time. These efforts have been honored with the MRS graduate student silver award and the Dow sustainability innovation student challenge award. She is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan.

We are passionate about manipulating light to assist chemistry for energy applications and engineering structures for optoelectronics as a material scientist. In addition, we are devoted to system development for the sustainable future. The widespread use of fossil fuels has led to severe greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. The idea to combine CO2 capture and utilization with electrolysis as a one-pot process has become another main focus of our lab.


Research Topics
  • Solar fuels/Artificial photosynthesis 
  • Light management in nanophotonic device
  • Plasmonic photo(electro)chemistry
  • Nanofabrication and surface/Interface characterization
  • One-pot CO2 capture and utilization

Honor
  • Ministry of Education Yushan Young Scholar
  • 2030 Cross-Generation Young Scholars Program - Emerging Young Scholars
  • Teaching Excellence Awards of MSE, NCKU
  • Outstanding Young Investigator Award, College of Engineering, NCKU
  • Outstanding Youth Award, Tainan City

Educational Background

Institution/Degree/Field/Year

Caltech (USA)/Ph.D./Mat. Sci./2020

NCKU (TW)/M.S./Mat. Sci. Eng./2013

NCKU (TW)/B.S./Mat. Sci. Eng./2011


Job Description

Research on electrocatalytic CO2 reduction

Preferred Intern Education Level

BS or MS

Skill sets or Qualities

Electrocatalysis related background preferred