University Awards
Recognising Excellence

Young Researcher Award

My research aspires to push the frontiers of solar energy through next-generation perovskite photovoltaics. I aim to develop scalable, high-efficiency and stable solar technologies that can power everything from smart devices to satellites—contributing to a cleaner, more sustainable and electrified future for urban environments and beyond. ” Assistant Professor Hou Yi
Presidential Young Professorship Assistant Professor
 
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering,
College of Design and Engineering
 
Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore
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Research Interests

  • Renewable energy
  • Perovskite-based tandem solar cells
  • Interface design for optoelectronic devices
  • Solar cell failure mechanisms and lifetime extension studies
  • Scalable, economically viable thin-film deposition technologies

Research Achievements

  • A leading figure in renewable research, Assistant Professor Hou heads the Hou Research Group at NUS Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, where he advances and innovates solar cell efficiencies. His achievements include:
    • Establishing world-record efficiency in inverted perovskite solar cells, the first time a Singapore-based institution appeared in the Solar Cell Efficiency Tables
    • Establishing a new record efficiency of 27.5% for monolithic perovskite-organic tandem solar cells, advancing lightweight and flexible photovoltaics for aerospace and building-integrated photovoltaics applications
    • Pioneering ultrawide-bandgap triple-junction perovskite tandems with predicted theoretical efficiencies of up to 50%
    • Innovating nanophotonic strategies to extend light absorption and enhance quantum efficiency in perovskite solar cells
  • As head of the Perovskite-based Multijunction Solar Cell Group at the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore, Assistant Professor Hou advances perovskite multi-junction solar cell technology by bridging the disciplines of chemistry, physics and materials engineering.
  • He also founded Singfilm Solar, a spin-off dedicated to providing efficient and stable perovskite solar cells with long lifespans, contributing to the critical transition from fossil fuels to clean energy.

Publication Credits

  • Published 38 high-impact papers since joining NUS, including in Nature, Nature Energy, Nature Photonics, Nature Communications and Joule
  • Obtained more than 15,000 total citations, with a Hirsch index of 60

International Standing

  • Editorial Editor of IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics
  • Peer reviewer for Science, Nature, Nature Energy, Nature Materials, Nature Photonics, Nature Nanotechnology, Advanced Materials, Joule and JACS, among others
  • Organiser and Chair of major international scientific conferences, including ICMAT 2025, MRS Spring (2025, 2024) and ACS Fall (2021–2023)
  • Referee for ERC Advanced Grants, ACS PRF, MRS Golden Award and IEEE PVSC

Awards and Accolades

  • NUS CDE Young Researcher Award (2025)
  • NUS CDE Design and Technology Innovation Award (2025)
  • IUMRS-ICEM Young Scientist Award (2024)
  • AIChE SLS Outstanding Young Faculty Award (2023)
  • Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher, Cross-Field (2023, 2022)
  • MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35 Asia Pacific (2022)
  • Solarbe Global Award—Speaker of the Year (2022)
  • NUS Presidential Young Professorship (2020)

Education

  • PhD (University of Erlangen-Nuremberg)
  • BSc (Beijing University of Chemical Technology)
 
 Honour Roll Recipients