معرفی
Vanessa Wood is a full professor and chair at the Institute for Electronics (IfE) in the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering (D-ITET) at ETH Zürich. Since 2021, she has served as Vice President for Knowledge Transfer and Corporate Relations at ETH Zürich. She was appointed assistant professor in 2011, received tenure in 2014, and was promoted to full professor in 2019. From 2018 to 2020, she served as head of the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering.
Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Applied Physics from Yale University (2005), a master's in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT (2007), and a PhD in Electrical Engineering from MIT (2009). Her doctoral research with Prof. Vladimir Bulovic focused on quantum dot LED technology. She completed postdoctoral work at MIT from 2010-2011 with Profs. Yet-Ming Chiang and W. Craig Carter on lithium ion battery flow cell technology.
Prof. Wood's research spans multiple areas of materials science and engineering, with particular emphasis on nanocrystal synthesis, battery technologies, and electronic materials. Her work bridges fundamental materials science with practical applications in energy storage and optoelectronics. She employs advanced characterization techniques including cryo-TEM, neutron scattering, and various spectroscopic methods to understand materials at the nanoscale.
Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on next-generation energy storage systems, particularly lithium-sulfur batteries, with investigations into conversion pathways and rate limitations. Her research also encompasses nanocrystal engineering for catalysis, phase change materials for memory applications, and photonic crystals for optical applications. The interdisciplinary nature of her work combines materials synthesis, advanced characterization, and computational methods.
Her scientific achievements have been recognized with prestigious awards including the 2014 Science Prize in Electrochemistry endowed by BASF and Volkswagen Group and the 2018 Materials Research Society Outstanding Young Investigator Award.
As Vice President for Knowledge Transfer and Corporate Relations, Prof. Wood oversees ETH Zürich's engagement with industry and society, facilitating technology transfer and research collaborations. She leads the Materials and Device Engineering Group (MaDE), which focuses on the development of novel materials and devices through bottom-up approaches. Her group maintains strong collaborations with various research institutions and industry partners, securing significant funding for projects in energy storage, nanomaterials, and electronic devices.
