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Dr. Thien Truong is a materials science researcher specializing in advanced materials, semiconductor physics, and photovoltaic devices, with expertise in spectroscopic and microscopic characterization, defect engineering, and the development of next-generation solar cell technologies. His research focuses on understanding the fundamental physical mechanisms governing material properties, defects, interfaces, charge transport, and device performance, and translating these insights into advanced materials and device architectures. His work spans high-efficiency silicon photovoltaics, including TOPCon, silicon heterojunction (SHJ), and interdigitated back-contact (IBC) technologies, as well as perovskites, silicon tandem solar cells, III–V semiconductors, two-dimensional materials, and (photo)electrocatalysis. He also investigates advanced metallization, laser processing, and defect engineering to improve device efficiency, reliability, and manufacturability for terrestrial and space applications.

Dr. Truong joined the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR; formerly NREL) in January 2024, where he conducts research on advanced photovoltaic materials and devices, with an emphasis on understanding material and interface properties, developing innovative metallization and processing approaches, and applying advanced characterization techniques to identify and control defects. His research integrates experimental materials science, semiconductor device physics, and process engineering to establish fundamental mechanisms and develop practical strategies for next-generation photovoltaic technologies.

Before joining NLR, Dr. Truong worked as a doctoral researcher, postdoctoral fellow, and lecturer at the Australian National University (ANU) Solar PV Laboratory from 2018 to early 2024. His research contributed to projects supported by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), Jinko Solar (China), and the Centre Suisse d’Electronique et de Microtechnique (CSEM, Switzerland). These projects focused on advanced polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) passivating contacts, novel materials and processing approaches, and high-efficiency silicon solar cells for scalable photovoltaic manufacturing.

Dr. Truong received his PhD in Engineering from the Australian National University, Australia, in 2022. He earned an MSc in Intelligent Micro/Nano Systems from Konkuk University, South Korea, in 2018, and a Degree of Engineer in Mechanical Engineering from Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Engineering (HCMUTE), Vietnam, in 2015.

Note on name: My full name in Vietnamese is Trương Ngọc Thiện. My publications are listed under several name variations, including Thien Truong, Thien N. Truong, T. Truong, T.N. Truong, and Thien Ngoc Truong.