Henry Snaith facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Henry Snaith FRS
Henry Snaith in 2015
Born	Henry James Snaith January 1978 (age 47)
Education	Gresham's School
Alma mater	University of Bristol (BSc) University of Cambridge (PhD)
Awards	Nature's 10 (2013) Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists (2018)
Scientific career
Fields	Physics Solar cells Perovskite solar cells Photovoltaics Optoelectronics
Institutions	University of Oxford Oxford Martin School Clarendon Laboratory Cavendish Laboratory Oxford Photovoltaics École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Thesis	Polymer based photovoltaic diodes (2005)
Doctoral advisor	Richard Friend
Other academic advisors	Michael Grätzel

Henry James Snaith, born in 1978, is a brilliant professor of physics at the University of Oxford. He's famous for his work on a special type of material called "halide perovskites." These materials are super important because they can be used to make amazing solar cells that turn sunlight into electricity! Professor Snaith's discoveries have opened up a whole new area of science. Many of his students have even started their own research teams and companies. In 2010, he helped create a company called Oxford Photovoltaics to make and sell solar cells using these cool perovskite materials.

Henry Snaith's Education Journey

Henry Snaith went to Gresham's School in Norfolk from 1989 to 1996. After that, he studied at the University of Bristol. He then went on to do special research at the University of Cambridge. In 2005, he earned his PhD degree. His research there was all about polymer solar cells, which are a type of flexible solar cell.

Professor Snaith's Career and Discoveries

After getting his PhD, Professor Snaith spent two years doing more research. He worked with a famous scientist named Michael Grätzel in Switzerland. In 2006, he came back to the University of Cambridge as a research fellow. Later, he moved to the University of Oxford. There, he became a professor.

Professor Snaith's main goal has been to find new materials and ways to build solar cells. He wants to make solar cells that are cheaper and work even better.

Some of his amazing achievements include:

• Showing how to use a special structure called "gyroid" for dye solar cells.
• Creating tiny, perfect crystals of titanium dioxide.
• Discovering how to make very efficient solar cells using thin films of "organometal trihalide perovskites."

In 2010, he started Oxford Photovoltaics Ltd.. This company works on making perovskite solar cells for buildings and large power plants. His research has received funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Awards and Special Recognitions

Professor Snaith has received many important awards for his groundbreaking work.

• In 2015, he was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). This is a very high honor for scientists in the UK.
• In 2012, he won the Institute of Physics Clifford Paterson Medal and Prize. This was for his important work on solar cells that use light-sensitive materials.
• In 2014, he received the MRS Outstanding Young Investigator Award.
• Nature magazine, a very famous science publication, named him one of the "ten people who mattered" in 2013.
• In 2015, he was ranked second on a list of "The World's Most Influential Scientific Minds." This list identifies scientists who have made a huge impact in their field.
• In 2016, he won the EU-40 Materials Prize from the European Material Research Society.
• In 2017, he was awarded the Institute of Physics James Joule Medal and Prize. This was for discovering and developing perovskite solar cells.
• In 2020, he received the Becquerel Prize for his contributions to using perovskites in solar cells.