Professor Sam Stranks

Professor Sam Stranks is Professor of Energy Materials and Optoelectronics at the University of Cambridge. Sam graduated from the University of Adelaide in 2007 with a BA in German and Applied Mathematics as well as a BSc in Physics and Physical Chemistry. He went on to complete his PhD as a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford in 2012.  

Sam founded his research group at Cambridge in 2017. His work focuses on the optical and electronic properties of emerging semiconductors including halide perovskites, carbon allotropes and organic semiconductors for low-cost electronics applications such as photovoltaics, lighting and detectors. 

Sam is a co-founder of Swift Solar, a startup developing high-performance perovskite PV panels, Clarity Sensors, a startup developing next-generation X-ray detectors for medical imaging, and Sustain/Ed, a not-for-profit developing education for school-age children around climate change solutions.  

He is also an Associate Editor at the AAAS journal Science Advances, and sits on the Editorial Boards for the journals ACS Energy Letters, Advanced Energy Materials, PRX Energy and Energy & Environmental Science. 

Sam is a fellow of Clare College, Cambridge where he serves as Director of Studies in Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology.