Personal profile
Author IDs
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-9219-7749
Scopus Author ID: 7005860537
ResearcherID: ADW-4781-2022
Google Scholar Profile: tEcLDxAAAAAJ
Impact
Biography
Professor Alex Jen, a renowned scientist and eminent leader, joined City University of Hong Kong in 2016. He is the Lee Shau Kee Chair Professor of Material Science and the Director of Hong Kong Institute for Clean Energy (HKICE).
Professor Jen received his bachelor's degree from the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan and PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in USA. He was the Boeing-Johnson Chair Professor and Chair of the Department of Materials Science & Engineering at the University of Washington, Seattle. He also served as Chief Scientist for the Clean Energy Institute endowed by the Washington State Governor.
Professor Jen is a distinguished researcher with a well-cited publication record. He has co-authored >1060 publications, given over 600 invited presentations, has >85,000 citations and an H-index of 150, and is co-inventor for more than 63 patents and invention disclosures. His research interests are inter-disciplinary, specializing in organic/hybrid functional materials and devices for photonics, energy, sensors, and nanomedicine. He was named by Thomson Reuters as one of the “Highly Cited Researchers” in 2014-2022 and as one of the "World's Most Influential Scientific Minds" in 2015 and 2016 in the area of materials science.
Being an internationally recognized scholar, Professor Jen has been elected as Fellow by several professional societies including AAAS, MRS, ACS, PMSE, OSA, SPIE, and as an Academician by the Washington State Academy of Sciences. He has also demonstrated capability on technology transfer and fund raising, and is the founder of the Institute of Advanced Materials for Energy (i-AME) of the University of Washington.
Editor or Editorial Membership
Editor, IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics
Advisory Board Member, Energy Frontier Research Center, Univ. of Michigan
Advisory Board Member, Material Synthesis, Simulation Across Scales, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Editorial Advisory Board Member, ACS Chemistry of Materials, NPG-Asia Materials, Journal of the Experimental Nanoscience
Chair of the Advisory Board, The Transformative Materials Initiative, The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 2007-
Board of Directors, The Washington Technology Center, appointed by the Washington State Governor
Advisory Board Member, College of Arts & Science, National Chiao-Tung University, Taiwan
Advisory Board Member, Institute of Chemistry, Academic Sinica, Taiwan
Research Interests/Areas
Utilizing molecular, polymeric, and biomacromolecular self-assembly to create ordered arrangement of organic and inorganic functional materials for photonics, opto-electronics, nanomedicine, and nanotechnology.
Employing the “molecular engineering” approach to tailor size, shape, sequence, and functionality of organic/hybrid functional materials and explore their applications.
Related Links
Education/Academic qualification
PhD, Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania
1984
BS, Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University
1978
Experiences and Professional Affiliations
Chief Scientist, Clean Energy Institute, University of Washington
2013 → 2016
Chair Professor, Polymer Science & Engineering, Zhejiang University
2012
Director, Institute of Advanced Materials for Energy
2011 → 2016
Chair, Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Washington
2007 → 2016
Director, Institute for Advanced Materials & Technology, University of Washington
2006 → 2011
Acting Chair, Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Washington
2005 → 2007
Boeing-Johnson Chair Professor, Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Washington
2000 → …
Boeing-Johnson Endowed Chair, University of Washington
1999 → …
Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, Northeastern University
1997 → 1999
Vice President, Optical Materials Division, ROI Technology
1995 → 1996
Group Leader-Senior Scientist, NLO Materials, Enichem America Inc.
1990 → 1994
Project Leader-Principal Scientist, Advanced Materials Laboratory, Enichem America Inc.
1988 → 1990
Research Scientist, Specialty Polymers Department, Allied-Signal Inc.
1984 → 1988
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 2 Zero Hunger -
SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy -
SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure -
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities -
SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production -
SDG 13 Climate Action -
SDG 14 Life Below Water
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Collaborations from the last five years
Research output
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A Bimolecular Co-Anchoring Strategy for Constructing Hydrogen Networks to Stabilize Perovskite Solar Cells
Wang, Y., Zhang, L., Li, K., Wang, Y., Tao, Y., Lu, X., Tsang, S., Kuo, H.-C., You, J., Jen, A. K. Y. & Liu, S. F., 5 Jan 2026, (Online published) In: Advanced Energy Materials. 11 p., e04844.Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review
1 Link opens in a new tab Citation (Scopus) -
Alleviating non-radiative losses in organic solar cells through side-chain regulation of low-bandgap non-fullerene acceptors
Qi, F. (Co-first Author), Li, Q. (Co-first Author), Lu, H., Zhang, R., Liu, S., Kaminsky, W., Wei, Y., Fan, Q., Zhang, H., Lei, D., Lin, F. R., Bo, Z. & Jen, A.K.-Y., 2026, In: Nature Communications. 17, 10 p., 712.Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Enhanced charge extraction in textured perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells via molecular contact functionalization
Huang, J. (Co-first Author), Zhang, L. (Co-first Author), Yilmaz, C. (Co-first Author), Qu, G. (Co-first Author), Zemer, I., Hooijer, R., Cai, S., Buyruk, A., Zhu, H., Bouraoui, M., Hartschuh, A., Mishima, R., Yamamoto, K., Deger, C., Yavuz, I., Jen, A.K.-Y., Ugur, E., De Wolf, S., Levine, I. & Xu, Z.-X. & 1 others, , 21 Jan 2026, In: Joule. 10, 1, 14 p., 102227.Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review
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Molecular Engineering of Electron Transport Layers via Steric Hindrance and Chelation Toward Stable Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells
Shen, T. (Co-first Author), Wang, J. (Co-first Author), Yuan, C. (Co-first Author), Bi, L., Huang, X., Lin, F. R., Fu, Q. & Jen, A.K.-Y., 25 Feb 2026, In: Advanced Materials. 38, 12, 9 p., e21878.Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review
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Oxygen spillover engineering design in atomically dispersed sites for high-efficiency photoproduction of hydrogen peroxide from water
Dang, X. (Co-first Author), Wu, S. (Co-first Author), Li, Q. (Co-first Author), Gan, X., Jen, A.K.-Y., Lei, D. & Zhao, H., 10 Feb 2026, In: Energy & Environmental Science. 19, 3, p. 995-1005 11 p.Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review
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GRF: Molecular Engineering of Polyoxometalate (POM) and Self-Assembled Monolayer (SAM) Composites for Improving Efficiency and Stability of Organic and Perovskite Solar Cells
JEN, A. (Principal Investigator / Project Coordinator)
1/10/25 → …
Project: Research
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GRF: Development of Multifunctional Redox Mediators to Mitigate Halide Segregation in Wide-Bandgap Perovskites for Perovskite Based Tandem Solar Cells
JEN, A. (Principal Investigator / Project Coordinator)
1/01/25 → …
Project: Research
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ITF: Development of Commercializable Perovskite-Organic Tandem Solar Cells with High Efficiency and Stability
JEN, A. (Principal Investigator / Project Coordinator), FAN, B. (Co-Investigator), FU, Q. (Co-Investigator) & LIN, F. (Co-Investigator)
1/09/24 → …
Project: Research
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CRF: High Spatiotemporal Resolution Scanning Electron Microscope Facility for Multimodal Dynamic Imaging in Materials Science and Physics
ZHONG, X. (Principal Investigator / Project Coordinator), CHAI, Y. (Co-Principal Investigator), CHEN, F.-R. (Co-Principal Investigator), JEN, A. (Co-Principal Investigator), LEI, D. (Co-Principal Investigator), Li, Q. (Co-Principal Investigator), LI, L. J. (Co-Principal Investigator), LI, J. (Co-Principal Investigator), LIU, Q. (Co-Principal Investigator) & ROGACH, A. (Co-Principal Investigator)
30/06/24 → …
Project: Research
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ITF: Innovative Technology and Critical Materials for Developing Flexible Tandem Solar Cells with Ultra-high Specific Power
JEN, A. (Principal Investigator / Project Coordinator), FU, Q. (Co-Investigator), LIN, F. (Co-Investigator) & WU, S. (Co-Investigator)
1/05/24 → …
Project: Research
Prizes
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Stanford's Top 2% most highly cited scientists 2025
JEN, A. (Recipient), Sept 2025
Prize: RGC 64B - Prizes and awards
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Highly Cited Researcher in Materials Science, 2025
JEN, A. (Recipient), Nov 2025
Prize: RGC 64B - Prizes and awards
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Stanford's top 2% most highly cited scientists 2024
JEN, A. (Recipient), Sept 2024
Prize: RGC 64B - Prizes and awards
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Highly Cited Researcher in Materials Science, 2024
JEN, A. (Recipient), Nov 2024
Prize: RGC 64B - Prizes and awards
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Highly Cited Researchers in Material Science, 2023
JEN, A. (Recipient), Nov 2023
Prize: RGC 64B - Prizes and awards
Press/Media
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Highly efficient and stable solar cells can now be mass produced like printing newspapers
7/07/24 → 15/07/24
14 items of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
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CityUHK research excels with funding for five projects from the RAISe+ Scheme
YANG, M., JEN, A., CHEN, F.-R., MA, J. & TSO, C. Y.
28/05/24 → 29/05/24
10 items of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
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14 MSE faculty members have been named the Highly Cited Researchers 2023
CHU, P. K. H., HE, J.-H., JEN, A., LEE, C. S., LIU, B., REN, Y., ROGACH, A., YIP, H. L., ZENG, X., ZHANG, H., ZHANG, Q., ZHI, C. & ZHU, Z.
15/11/23
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
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Twenty-Six SEE Faculty Members ranked Top 2% of the World’s Most Highly Cited Scientists
ABDI, F. F., AN, K. J. A., CHAN, C. K., CHAN, C. L. J., CHEN, G., CHOPRA, S. S., DONG, L., JEN, A., LAI, C. K. A., LEUNG, M. Y. K., LEUNG, K. H. M., LIN, S. K. C., LIU, C., NG, Y. H., SHANG, J., TSO, C. Y., WANG, J., WANG, W., WANG, X., WU, W., XU, C., YU, Y. W. D., YUAN, Z., YIP, H. L., ZHANG, L. & ZHOU, W.
13/10/23
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
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CityU scientists discover a novel photophysical mechanism that has achieved record-breaking efficiency for organic photovoltaics
21/12/22
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
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Washington State Academy of Sciences (External organisation)
Jen, A.K.-Y. (Member)
2011Activity: Membership › Membership of committee
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Advisory Board, The Transformative Materials Initiative, The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (External organisation)
JEN, A. (President/Chairman/Chairperson)
2007 → 2016Activity: Membership › Membership of board
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Advisory Board, Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica (External organisation)
JEN, A. (Member)
2002 → …Activity: Membership › Membership of board