Meet Dr. Houman Yaghoubi who works in Dr. Shane Ardo’s laboratory in the Department of Chemistry. Houman’s primary area of interest spans the field of clean energy, namely solar energy conversion and harvesting, solar fuel production, and synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials for energy and environmental applications. His work is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, a $1.3 million grant with collaborators in Caltech and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. Prior to coming to UCI,  Houman worked as a research scientist in a start-up company in Tampa, FL where he developed a route to use novel catalysts for converting landfill gas to clean fuel. Houman earned his BS from Amirkabir University of Technology, his Master’s degree at Sharif University of Technology and his Ph.D. from the South University of Florida. The results of his work have led to 12 scientific articles and a book chapter. Houman was recently awarded the 2016 Tom Angell Award for Excellence in Mentoring Graduate Students here at UCI.