Comm Lab Fellow
Erin Looney is a PhD candidate in the Photovoltaics Research Laboratory within the Mechanical Engineering Department at MIT. Motivated to create solutions to combat climate change, she spent the first two years in the lab working on materials process engineering to increase solar cell efficiencies by up to 2%, (20% relative increase). Erin’s current research involves creative solutions for Cleantech startups of which >90% have failed since 2007, all with negative rates of return. The goal of her work is to shorten development time with accelerated system development strategies.
Combining her passion for communication with her drive to promote renewable energies, Erin spoke as a panelist at the kickoff event for the bipartisan Congressional Solar Caucus founded in Spring 2018 where 11 congressmen work to create legislation favorable to the solar industry. As a Mechanical Engineering Communication Lab Fellow, Erin is excited to coach peers on communicating their work effectively to the community.
In off hours, Erin can be found running, hiking, biking, and generally reveling in the outdoors she is working hard to protect.