Felisa Conrad-Burton

Felisa recently finished her Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from Columbia University where she studied photochemical systems in solar cells and ways to improve their performance. Specifically, she focused on the mechanism of singlet fission, in which one photon generates two excitons, and designing new robust and practically applicable molecules that undergo this process efficiently. Her research, starting as an undergraduate student, has always been geared towards climate change or the use of scientific research to address bigger problems in society. She earned her BS at George Mason University, where she helped to design new physical chemistry lessons that teach concepts such as blackbody radiation and the greenhouse effect using real life examples like climate change. For the past 5 years, she has been very involved with programs like WISC, ScAAN, and Sci4NY in which scientists are using their expertise to address policy questions in the area. Felisa believes that science and scientific thinking are important for all aspects of life and is invested in improving scientific outreach and education for everyone.