Bio

Dr. Yi Yang is a postdoctoral research associate at Northwestern University, working with Prof. Edward Sargent and Prof. Mercouri Kanatzidis. Her research focuses on the design of stable optoelectronic materials and devices, with emphasis on perovskite photovoltaics and emerging semiconductors. She has developed innovative materials and interfacial approaches-including amidination chemistry, liquid-crystal additives, and perovskitoid heterostructures-that have advanced device efficiency and long-term operational stability, with results published in Science, Nature, and Nature Energy.

Yi received her Ph.D. in Renewable and Clean Energy from North China Electric Power University, with two years at EPFL under Prof. Mohammad Nazeeruddin. She has published over 50 papers, including 18 as first/co-first author, with more than 5,000 citations and an H-index of 33. She holds three patents and serves as a reviewer for journals such as Nature Energy and Nature Nanotechnology. Her achievements have been recognized with the IIN Outstanding Researcher Leader Award.

AI-Enabled Wireless Networking, Sensing, and Optimization for Sustainable Systems

Emerging optoelectronic materials such as halide perovskites combine exceptional performance with low-cost, scalable fabrication, positioning them as promising candidates for next-generation energy, sensing, and display technologies. Yet, their widespread deployment is limited by instability under real-world operating conditions. My research bridges materials chemistry, interface physics, and device engineering to establish a mechanism-informed framework for stability-centered design.

In my prior work, I contributed to approaches that reframed stability from a limitation into a central consideration in material and device design. Through materials structure design, film crystallization control, and interface architecture engineering, I helped advance perovskite devices toward both higher efficiencies and improved operational lifetimes under elevated temperatures.

Based on this foundation, my independent research will extend stability-driven design into complex, dynamic environments. I aim to elucidate how coupled stresses-including light, heat, bias, moisture, oxygen, and mechanical strain-accelerate degradation, employing in situ and operando diagnostics to establish predictive lifetime models. Building on these insights, I will develop a library of intrinsically stable absorbers and interfacial materials through molecular engineering, the exploration of alternative semiconductors, and AI-assisted materials discovery. Ultimately, I will integrate and encapsulate these materials into deployable devices, validated by intelligent real-world testing platforms equipped with real-time diagnostics and feedback.

This vision unifies degradation science, materials innovation, and device integration across photovoltaics, light emission, and detection. By embedding stability as a design driver, I aim to enable optoelectronic technologies that are not only high-performing but also reliable and scalable. Through the MIT Rising Stars program, I look forward to engaging with a dynamic community and shaping a future where durable optoelectronics advance sustainable energy and information technologies.