Lenan Zhang, the new director of the Energy Research Laboratory, joins Cornell from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was a research scientist. His research focuses on energy conversion and transport, with an emphasis on creating sustainable solutions to global energy challenges. Zhang’s lab combines fundamental research in transport phenomena with the development of advanced tools for energy sustainability. His innovative work has earned him recognition in TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2023 and MIT Technology Review, among other prestigious outlets.
Zhang’s research interests span a broad range of applications, from clean water production and green hydrogen generation to the thermal management of electronics. At Cornell, he aims to continue advancing the fundamental understanding of thermal and fluid transport at extreme scales, with the goal of developing high-performance devices that address critical global sustainability issues.
“By exploring the mechanisms that govern energy transport at all scales, I hope to develop new technologies that will make a meaningful impact on our world’s energy challenges,” Zhang says. “Cornell offers a vibrant and interdisciplinary environment to drive this research forward.”