Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Thomas Vandervelde was earlier this month one of five individuals in the nation to win a $400,000, five−year grant awarded to early−career professors by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Vandervelde received the award for his research into making solar energy more efficient.
The NSF's Faculty Early Career Development Program awards junior professors who have yet to receive tenure with funding over a five−year period to promote the integration of education and research.
"I am delighted that …. Vandervelde has received this important recognition and am proud of our talented cadre of faculty members who are providing Tufts students with cutting−edge knowledge in emerging fields and integrating research into the classroom," School of Engineering Dean Linda Abriola said in an email to the Daily.
Vandervelde is the sixth Engineering Department faculty member to win an Early Career NSF award, according to Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Chair Jeffrey Hopwood.
"It's considered to be a very prestigious award for young faculty," Hopwood said.
The grant is given to applicants following a rigorous application and selection process. Panels composed of experts in the field spend hours debating the thousands of research proposals they receive each year, Hopwood said.
"[Panelists try] to identify the strongest proposals, the proposals that have the best impact on research and education and a broader impact on the nation and the economy as a whole," Hopwood said.
Vandervelde's research centers on the conversion of heat to electricity through particles called thermophotovoltaics (TPVs) and has the potential to create energy−efficient, eco−friendly technologies, he said.
"The long−term goal of the research is to use this technology to convert heat into powering electrical devices, like using natural body heat to power a pacemaker, or using heat from exhaust to more efficiently power the car," Vandervelde said.
"Professor Vandervelde's outstanding research in solar technology is adding to our already considerable strength in sustainable energy expertise," Abriola added.
Vandervelde's willingness to mentor undergraduates and graduate students alike was part of his appeal to the NSF, Hopwood believed.
"The NSF wants to make sure that there are opportunities for people before graduate school to become involved in research," he said. "They're trying to reward professors who find an integration of lab research and education."
Sophomore Meth Bandara, an electrical engineering major who assists Vandervelde in his laboratory and worked with him last summer, praised Vandervelde's academic and professional skill.
"Tom is a wonderful professor," Bandara said. "He makes the lab a place you want to be, a place where no idea is too crazy.
"His work is really groundbreaking," she added. "I'm not surprised he won the … award."
Vandervelde will also be awarded this Friday the annual Graduate Teaching and Mentoring Award by the School of Engineering and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, he said.
In accordance with the $400,000 grant, Vandervelde is expected to continue to publish scholarly literature on the subject and his research in order to enhance public knowledge and submit yearly reports to the NSF, Vandervelde said.
The grant will be divided equally over the next five years in increments of $80,000 a year to finance Vandervelde's research endeavors regarding solar energy.
The funds will be used to support stipends for graduate students who aid Vandervelde in his research on TPVs, with the remainder of the funds allocated to furthering the research, Vandervelde said.
