Dr Dowon Bae is a Senior Lecturer in Energy Engineering at Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering. He received his BSc & MSc (both Summa cum laude) from the Russian State Technological. After industrial R&D activities (CIGS and CZTS PV) at LG Innotek, he obtained a PhD in Physics at the Technical University of Denmark in 2015. He also worked at the Delft University of Technology as a Marie-Curie Postdoc Fellow until 2020. Before his academic experience at Loughborough University, he was an Assistant Professor at Heriot-Watt University (UK, 2020-2023). His research interests include solar and thermal energy conversion via electrocatalytic and electrochemical systems.
- Assistant Professor (Aug. 2020 – Dec. 2023), Heriot-Watt University, Institute of Mechanical, Process and Energy Engineering
- Guest researcher (Mar. 2020 – Jun. 2020), Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), Department of Chemical Engineering
- Marie-Curie Post-doctoral fellow (Mar. 2018 – Feb. 20200), Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), Department of Chemical Engineering (Prof. Wilson A. Smith’s Lab)
- Post-doctoral researcher (Oct. 2015 – Feb. 2018), Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Department of Physics (Prof. Ib Chorkendorff’s group)
- PhD student (Sep. 2012 – Sep. 2015), Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Department of Physics (Prof. Ib Chorkendorff’s group)
- Researcher (Jul. 2008 – Feb. 2012), LG Innotek, Solar Cell Lab at R&D Center
Qualifications and Awards
Degree
- PhD in Physics (2015), Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
- MSc in Materials Science and Technology (2008), Russian State Technological University named after K.E. Tsiolkovsky, Moscow, Russia
- BSc in Materials Science and Technology (2006), Russian State Technological University named after K.E. Tsiolkovsky, Moscow, Russia
Awards
- LG Award, LG Electronics, KEMST forum 2018, June 2018
- Outstanding reviewer recognition, Solar Energy Materials & Solar Cells, Elsevier, 2014 & 2016
- Best poster presentation prize, European Material Research Society, E-MRS Spring Meeting, May 2014
- Invention activity prize winner, LG Innotek, 2010
- Honour of Red Diploma (Summa cum laude), BSc & MSc, Russian State Tech. Univ., 2006 and 2008
Other qualification
- Six-sigma, Black Belt qualified, 2010
Dr Dowon Bae’s research team, Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage Laboratory (EECS Lab), is dedicated to the electrochemical energy storage and conversion system and device design, including solar-rechargeable redox flow battery (SRFB), RFB with thermally regenerative electrochemical cycle (TREC), and photo- and electro-chemical (PEC & EC) device architecture. His research covers both theoretical modelling and experimental verification that reveal the untapped potential of the electrochemical energy storage systems.
- Solar-rechargeable Redox Flow Battery (SRFB) has received renewed attention in recent years. An SRFB is a combination of a redox flow battery (RFB) and a photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell, which may be fully integrated into a single cell or separated into an RFB and a PEC charging component. Our research focuses on the theoretical modelling of thermo- and photo-electrochemical behaviour under dynamic operating conditions and its experimental verification.
- Thermally regenerative Electrochemical Cycle (TREC) allows heat storage directly into electrical energy. An exciting feature of this thermally regenerative electrochemical cycle (TREC) applied redox flow battery is its function as a waste-heat harnessing. We aim to provide an innovative breakthrough for maximising the heat conversion efficiency of the RFB with TREC by introducing a high throughput screening of the redox chemicals.
- Photo- and electro-chemical Energy Conversion could become a key technology for making clean and sustainable fuels. This PEC approach is also readily applicable for the above-described redox flow battery charging purposes as well. We aim to design efficient and durable PEC and EC energy conversion devices that enable the feasible conversion of solar energy into chemicals, such as hydrogen.
Grants and contracts awarded
- UKRI EPSRC, Standard Grant (ca. £430K), Apr. 2023 ~ Sep. 2025
Heat Utilisation via Thermally Regenerative Electrochemical System (HEATHER) (w/ University of Strathclyde) - British Council, Reconnect Travel Grant (ca. £15K), Aug. 2023 ~ Oct. 2023
Non-toxic thin film CZTS-based solar redox flow battery (w/ DGIST, Korea) - The Royal Society, Research Grant (ca. £20K), Oct. 2022 ~ Sep. 2023
Photothermally synergistic electrolysis for hydrogen production from water - Renishaw–Heriot-Watt University Alliance Grant (Level 3, training and mobility fund), 2021
New Insight into Carbon Electrode Degradation Using Raman Spectroscopy (NICER) - Erasmus+ Staff Mobility Grant (EU, app. €2K), 2018
Training of photoelectrochemical (PEC) flow battery setup and characterisation from experts - Marie-Curie COFUND (LEaDing Fellowship, EU, app. €110K), Mar. 2018 ~ Feb. 2020
Beyond the solar-fuel era: Single-device-based PEC flow battery - Otto Mønsteds Fonds, Conference grants (approximately $4,000 for 2W), Aug. 2016 & Oct. 2017
- Danish Agency of Science, Technology and Innovation, Stanford University visiting scholarship (ca. $7K), 2015
Enabling the photocatalysis using perovskite semiconductors in aqueous media