Glen Junor

Glen Junor has always been interested in how energy flows through our world. He began his first investigations into this extremely broad topic through research at UC Irvine on novel materials for solar cells. For 3 years at UC Irvine, Glen led a project on PbTe quantum dots aimed at generating more than one electron per absorbed photon to increase theoretical maximum solar cell efficiency. During his investigations he explored how changing 3D structure, and atom identities within structures, can massively alter the physical characteristics of a system.

Inspired by the profound materials he was investigating, Glen sought a PhD in Chemistry at UC San Diego, where he had the opportunity to work with Professor Guy Bertrand, a pioneer in molecules traditionally considered impossible to isolate (carbenes, phosphinidenes, borylenes, etc). There, Glen was awarded a research fellowship by the National Science Foundation to explore the synthesis of new compounds and their applications. During his PhD, Glen invented new reactions, deepened our understanding of molecular characterization, and helped create new catalysts for several important chemical processes.

As part of the MIT Climate & Sustainability Consortium, Glen hopes to apply his understanding of molecular structure and energy towards the decarbonization of our economy. By bringing companies and MIT researchers together, Glen hopes to tackle major roadblocks in topics like Carbon Capture and Sequestration, Chemical Manufacturing, Alternative Energy and Chemical Feedstocks, and Regenerative Agriculture.

Core to Glen’s efforts at the MCSC are the development of academic-industrial and cross-industry partnerships to unlock technological barriers to implementation as well as distribute benefits along the value chain.