Lenan Zhang joined Cornell University in July 2024 as an Assistant Professor in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He directs the Energy Research Laboratory (ERL), which aims to advance fundamental knowledge of energy conversion and transport and develop innovative solutions to sustainability. Lenan received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Purdue University in 2016; and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2018 and 2022, respectively. Prior to joining the faculty, he was a Research Scientist in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Lenan’s work was recognized by several awards and honors including the Best Inventions of 2023 (TIME Magazine), Wunsch Foundation Silent Hoist and Crane Award, Best Presentation Award in Materials Research Society, Top 10 MIT Research Stories of 2023 and 2020, and Martin Family Fellowship for Sustainability. His works have also been highlighted in TIME Magazine, Scientific American, MIT Technology Review, The Economist, Nature, among others.