FacultyNews


AWhole NewWorld JonathanMalen Focuses on Hybrid EnergyMaterials


Assistant Professor Jonathan Malen is the newest facultymember to join the Department ofMechanical Engineering, after completing his Ph.D. last Spring at theUniversity of California,Berkeley. There,his research focused on the investi- gation of nanoscale energy transport and conversion in organic-inorganic hybrid materials—a new breed of inexpensively manufactured semiconductors that hold


promise for enhancing energy storage, conversion, and efficiency. A native ofUpper Dublin,Pennsylvania,Malen earned his B.S. in


Mechanical Engineering in 2000 at theUniversity ofMichigan, then worked at the DefenseNuclear Facilities Safety Board.While there, Malen was able to earn an S.M. inNuclear Engineering fromMIT in 2003.He was aResearcher at the Lawrence LivermoreNational Laboratory from2003 until 2004. He enrolled in the doctoral programatUC-Berkeley in 2005. Malen won a number of prestigious awards, including


being named the James B.Angell Scholar atMichigan (1999), winning theNational Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (2005), and earning the“Best Presentation”award at the American Society of Engineers (ASME) EnergyNanotechnology Conference (2008).


Revealing Untapped Energy Potential At CarnegieMellon,Malen will continue his focus on solving problems related to energy.Much of his work will focus on fulfilling the promise of hybrid materials that may prove highly effective in transporting energy.Malen has already assembled a research group which includesMechE Ph.D. students Zoey Su and Scott Schiffres. The team’s initial projects will consider energy transport and


conversion in semiconductor thin films used for solid state lighting, as well as organic-inorganic heterostructures used to generate thermoelectricity. In these materials,discrete molecular orbitals mix with continuum electronic states in the inorganic phase to create unique energy landscapes that can be precisely manipulated using chemistry.Since transport in these materials is not yet understood, Malen is seeking deeper insights by measuring the thermopower of individual organic-inorganic junctions. Malen and his team will use the FiberAlignedThermal Interro-


gation (FATI) technique,which he pioneered, to quantify thermal transport rates. FATI is an inexpensive,non-contact,optical method of characterizing thermal properties that has an accuracy and a range similar to alternative measurement techniques—but with much easier setup and analysis.


In the near future,Malen also hopes to investigate how


nanostructuring can be used to enhance phase change heat transfer processes, and to move into the broad area of carbon capture and sequestration.


BringingNew Strengths toMechE WhileMalen is eagerly anticipating the opportunity to push the boundaries of energy efficiency in his laboratory,he is also looking forward to sharing his novel expertise in heat transfer,nanoscale transport, and organic-inorganic self-assembly withMechE students. “As an instructor and research advisor,my goal is to impart my


own passion in these topics,by encouraging creativity,understand- ing, and social consciousness,” saysMalen.“I hope to bring a new viewpoint to graduate and undergraduate courses in thermodynam- ics and heat transfer, as well as encourage young engineers to share my interest in the scientific phenomena that underlie these topics.” Malen also looks forward to adding to the broad range of


expertise within the Department ofMechanical Engineering, since that is what attracted him to CarnegieMellon in the first place. SaysMalen,“I made the decision to come here because ofMechE’s exciting mix of youth and experience, as well as the opportunity for collaboration within and beyond Departmental boundaries. I hope to add to that diversity and collaborative spirit.”•


Fun Fact On September 1, Jonathan and his wife Amy welcomed their first child, Jack Eli.Though he only weighed 8 pounds,10 ounces, andmeasured 22 inches, Jack still had the power to transformhis parents’ lives.“Our world has been turned upside down, including a new city,new jobs,new house, and new baby—and we’ve enjoyed everyminute of it,”says the proud father.


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