Yuhang Ren

Yuhang Ren is a tenured full Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Hunter College and Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Dr. Ren received a B.Sc. with Honors in Physics in 1995 from the Zhejiang Normal University, a Ph.D. with Honors in Condensed Matter Physics from the Zhejiang University in 1999, and a Ph.D. in Applied Science from the College of William and Mary in 2003. He was Department Chair of Physics and Astronomy and President of Procedure Committee at Hunter College between 2010 and 2014. Dr. Ren has authored/co-authored over 100 papers in Condensed Matter Physics and Ultrafast Laser Spectroscopy and he holds over 120 patents in solar thin film materials and applications. He received an ACS-PRF Award in 2006, a NYSTAR Award in 2011, a NY Powerbridge Award in 2017 and IF Gold Award in 2019.

• Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Michigan, 2003-2005
• PhD in Applied Science, College of William and Mary, 2003
  • Thesis: Time-Resolved Optical Studies of Colossal Magneto-Resistance and Charge- Density Wave Materials
• PhD with Honors in Condensed Matter Physics, Zhejiang University, 1999 
  • Thesis: Confined Polaron in Low-dimensional Semiconductor Heterojunctions (Honored)
• BS with Honors in Physics, Zhejiang Normal University, 1995

Dr. Ren's research interests include the following:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Ultrafast Laser Spectroscopy
• Solar thin film materials and applications

Dr. Ren is working on the nonlinear optical characterization of materials germane to the breakdown, or other failure, modes associated with thermal degradation, electromechanical processes in prototypical dielectrics and new developed ferroelectrics. For these studies, he has developed advanced nonlinear optical techniques including SHG microscopy and time-resolved two color pump-probe spectroscopy to image and understand in-situ coupled breakdown processes around interfaces and bulk boundaries that are difficult to obtain through other methods. Both techniques have been adapted to dielectric and ferroelectric samples, including BaTiO₃ and SrTiO₃ to study ionic defect electromigration, space charge accumulation, ionic degradation, and electrical and thermal breakdown near grain boundaries and interfaces.

Most recently, Dr. Ren has developed a nanometer-resolution, ultrafast laser acoustic technique to image nano scale structural defects and ferroelectric domain boundaries for optimization of high performance energy storage devices. The time-resolved spectroscopic measurements will allow him to investigate local phenomena such as those occurring at grain boundaries that determine the overall conversion efficiency of solar cells. The focus of Dr. Ren's research is also to create new ideas for generating a robust prototype fabrication process for low-cost thin film solar cells and energy storage devices in terms of reliability, uniformity, and conversion efficiency.

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