Geza Joos (M.Eng., Ph.D, McGill University, Canada) is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at McGill University, since 2001, where he holds the NSERC/Hydro-Quebec Industrial Research Chair on the Integration of Renewable Energies and Distributed Generation into the Electric Distribution Grid since 2009, and the Canada Research Chair in Powering Information Technologies since 2004. His research activities are in the application of high-power electronics to electric power systems and power conversion, including distributed generation and renewable energy (wind energy). He held positions in industry (ABB Canada), and academia (Concordia University, École de technologie supérieure, Canada). His professional activities include consulting work in power electronics applications and power system operation. He is active in CIGRE, where he is Secretary of Study Committee C6, Active Distribution Systems and Distributed Energy Resources since 2017, and in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Power and Energy Society, where is involved in standards activities since 2011, mostly related to microgrids controllers and DER management systems. He is a Fellow of the IEEE, Fellow of CIGRE, and Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and the Engineering Institute of Canada.

Research Interests:

High-precision calculations of electronic structures

Ab initio (first-principles) calculations involve simulating the atoms and electrons that make up a material and solving the equations of quantum mechanics to predict all its physical properties. These calculations are based on density functional theory (DFT), which allows us to calculate the energy of a system in its ground state as well as the wave function of the electrons. We use DFT to predict the structural parameters of a molecule or material, as well as the energy associated with a chemical reaction or the formation of a material.

Other, more advanced techniques allow for a better description of electron energy levels or a material’s response to an external perturbation. For example, the GW method can predict the energy required to add or remove an electron from a system, and the BSE method can calculate the optical properties of materials.

Energy-efficient materials for a sustainable future

The production and storage of renewable energy is one of the greatest challenges to overcome in addressing the climate crisis. Hydrogen is a particularly suitable energy carrier for green energy. The electrolysis process converts electrical power into chemical energy by separating water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen gas. The hydrogen is then converted into electricity in a fuel cell, and can thus power an electric car.

My research team develops innovative materials to support hydrogen technologies. This includes molecular or solid catalysts for hydrogen production and energy conversion, metal hydrides for hydrogen storage, and electrode materials for electricity storage in batteries or supercapacitors.

Electron-phonon coupling

Phonons describe the vibrational modes of atoms in a solid and are, in a sense, sound particles or quanta of vibration. When electrons move through a solid, they collide with phonons, and this process is at the heart of many phenomena, such as electrical resistivity, superconductivity, and the change in optical properties with temperature. We study these phenomena by ab initio calculation using perturbative density functional theory (PDFT).

Gaixia Zhang holds the Marcelle-Gauvreau Research Chair in Engineering at the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS), Montreal, Canada. She received her Ph.D. from Polytechnique Montréal and then continued her research at Western University and INRS, Canada. His research interests focus on advanced materials (catalysts, electrodes, and electrolytes) for sustainable energy devices and systems, including batteries, fuel cells, green hydrogen production, and_CO2 reduction. She is also interested in interface and device engineering, as well as in-situ characterizations and theoretical simulations. She has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals, including Nature Sustainability, Energy Environmental Science, Advanced Materials, Advanced Energy Materials, Angew. Chim. Int. Ed., ACS Energy Letters, and more. She is the author of 10 book chapters and holds 4 U.S. patents (along with industry) related to batteries and fuel cells. She is among the top 2% of scientists in the world.

Gaixia Zhang is a Marcelle-Gauvreau Engineering Research Chair Professor at École de Technologie Supérieure (ÉTS), Montreal, Canada. She received her Ph.D. degree from Polytechnique Montréal, and then continued her research at Western University and INRS, Canada. Her research interests focus on Advanced Materials (catalysts, electrodes, and electrolytes) for Sustainable Energy Devices and Systems, including batteries, fuel cells, hydrogen production, and CO₂ reduction. She is also interested in interface and device engineering, as well as in-situ characterizations and theoretical simulations. She has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles in top journals including Nature Sustainability, Energy Environmental Science, Advanced Materials, Advanced Energy Materials, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., ACS Energy Letters, etc. She has authored 10 book chapters and holds 4 US patents (with industry) related to batteries and fuel cells. She is among the world’s top 2% scientists