Principle Investigator
Prof. Lenan Zhang
Assistant Professor, Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Faculty Fellow, Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability
Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, MIT, 2022
M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, MIT, 2018
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, 2016
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 2016
Email: lzhang@cornell.edu | Links: MAE Page, Google Scholar, Reseach Gate
Office: Upson 355, 124 Hoy Road, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853
Research Interests
Heat and mass transfer
Advanced metrology for transport phenomena
Energy conversion, storage, and management
Sustainable water production
Teaching Interests
Heat and mass transfer
Fluid mechanics
Interfacial transport phenomena
Optics and spectroscopy
Biography
Lenan Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He directs the Energy Research Laboratory (ERL), which aims to advance fundamental knowledge of energy conversion and transport and develop innovative solutions to sustainability. Professor Zhang received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Purdue University in 2016; and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2018 and 2022, respectively. Prior to joining the faculty, he was a Research Scientist in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Professor Zhang’s work was recognized by several awards and honors including the Best Inventions of 2023 (TIME Magazine), Wunsch Foundation Silent Hoist and Crane Award, Best Presentation Award in Materials Research Society, Top 10 MIT Research Stories of 2023 and 2020, and Martin Family Fellowship for Sustainability. His works have also been highlighted in TIME Magazine, CNN, Scientific American, MIT Technology Review, The Economist, Nature, among others.