Eric Tervo

Dr. Eric Tervo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, with a joint appointment in Mechanical Engineering and a collaborative role at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). His research focuses on semiconductor materials and devices for energy conversion and thermal management, particularly in thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cells, solid-state refrigeration, and nanoengineered heat transfer control. He holds a PhD from Georgia Institute of Technology (2019) and a BS from UW-Madison (2012). Prior to UW-Madison, he was a Nozik Postdoctoral Fellow at NREL, where he developed thermal energy conversion technologies.

Education:

• PhD 2019, Georgia Institute of Technology
• BS 2012, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Research Interests:

• Thermal energy conversion via TPV cells and thermoradiative systems
• Nanomaterials engineering for thermal management
• High-efficiency solar energy systems
• Energy policy and economic impacts of sustainable technologies

Recent Scientific Contributions:

His work spans high-impact areas such as achieving world-record TPV efficiencies (>30%), developing scalable GaInAs devices, and advancing near-field radiative heat transfer modeling with discrete dipole and Green’s function methods. His research bridges theoretical, computational, and experimental approaches to address global energy challenges.

Awards:

• 2022 Young Scientist Award (Thermophotovoltaic Conference)
• 2020 Sigma Xi Best Thesis Award (Georgia Tech)
• Multiple NSF Travel Awards and Fellowships

Teaching and Mentorship:

Dr. Tervo teaches courses in photonics, electrodynamics, and research methods across ECE and Mechanical Engineering departments at UW-Madison. His lab collaborates with NREL to advance energy technologies.

Lab and Teams:

His research group focuses on interdisciplinary projects combining material science, nanotechnology, and energy systems, with active collaborations in both academia and national labs.