Anita Ho-Baillie announced as inaugural John Hooke Chair of Nanoscience
Associate Professor Anita Ho-Baillie holding a perovskite solar cell. Image courtesy UNSW.
After a comprehensive global recruitment process, Dean of Science Professor Iain Young has announced that Anita Ho-Baillie will join the University next year as the inaugural John Hooke Chair of Nanoscience in the School of Physics.
"I am delighted that Anita will be joining us in 2020," Professor Young said. "She is a genuine leader in her field and will bring her formidable experience in solar cell research and leadership in nanoscience to add to our great team."
Dr Ho-Baillie is currently an Associate Professor in the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering at the University of New South Wales, and Program Manager for Perovskite Solar Cell Research at the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics.
Associate Professor Ho-Baillie completed her Bachelor of Engineering on Co-op scholarship and PhD (2005) at UNSW. She has worked in British Aerospace, Alcatel Australia, Pacific Solar and Solar Sailor. Her research interest is to engineer materials and devices at the nanoscale for integrating solar cells onto all kinds of surfaces generating clean energy.
A highly cited researcher, she has been identified as one of the leaders in advancing perovskite solar cells. These are emerging as a leading technology to improve the efficiency of solar energy capture.
Associate Professor Ho-Baillie is well known for her integrated photovoltaics research and her achievements in setting solar-cell energy efficiency world records in various categories, placing her research at the forefront internationally.
Her vision as the John Hooke Chair of Nanoscience is to harness the enabling properties of new and emerging materials for low-cost, high-performance clean energy devices at the nanoscale.
The position is in part funded thanks to a generous philanthropic donation from John Hooke. Mr Hooke, who held degrees in both engineering and science from the University, gifted $5 million to the University to support nanoscience research.
Mr Hooke, who sadly passed away last year, leaves a lasting legacy at the University through his support for nanoscience.
“I have always been extremely passionate about science and how it may benefit society,” he said when his gift was announced in 2011. “Nanoscience has so many applications and possibilities. It’s really a revolution and I am delighted to be able to help.”
