معرفی
Alessandro Alabastri is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rice University, serving as Chair of the Applied Physics Committee. He holds a PhD in Nanosciences from the Italian Institute of Technology and University of Genoa (2014), with prior degrees from Politecnico di Milano (BSc 2007, MSc 2009). His research focuses on nanophotonics, computational modeling of plasmonic systems, and energy conversion technologies, including solar distillation and photothermal therapies.
- Education: PhD in Nanosciences (2014), MSc/BSc in Engineering Physics (Politecnico di Milano).
- Research Interests: Plasmonics, light-to-heat conversion, solar desalination, ultrafast dynamics, and biomedical applications of nanophotonics.
Recent work explores resonant energy transfer in solar desalination systems (STREED) and electron-phonon interactions in nanostructures. He has pioneered predictive models for photon-enhanced thermionic emission and nanoscale thermal gradients.
- Awards: Texas Instruments Research Professorship (2018), AAU Innovation Showcase (2017), NEWT Fellowship (2016).
Alabastri’s lab collaborates with Baylor College of Medicine and institutions globally, advancing interdisciplinary projects in energy, health, and materials science. Current initiatives include optimizing photothermal cancer therapy and developing off-grid water purification solutions.
