Zakya Kafafi

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Zakya H. Kafafi
Born
Zakya H. Ismail

1948 (age 75–76)
Egypt
Alma materRice University (PhD)
University of Houston (BSc)
Scientific career
InstitutionsLehigh University
National Science Foundation
ThesisInfrared matrix isolation studies of the alkali-metal cyanides (1972)

Zakya H. Ismail (born 1948) is an Egyptian scientist who is professor of Electrical Engineering at Lehigh University. Her research considers printed electronics and photonics. She was the first woman to be appointed to the National Science Foundation Director of the Division of Materials Research.

Early life and education[edit]

Kafafi was born in Cairo, Egypt. She has said that she became interested in chemistry whilst she was at high school, and that her science teacher frequently referred to her as The Chemist.[1] She started her undergraduate degree in chemistry at the University of Houston, where she minored in mathematics.[2] She moved to Rice University for her graduate studies and gained her MA and PhD in chemistry,[3] and worked on low-temperature spectroscopy. At Rice University Kafafi was friends with Marilyn E. Jacox.[4] After completing her doctorate, Kafafi moved to Cairo, where she was appointed Assistant Professor.[citation needed]

Research and career[edit]

In 1986, while on a sabbatical, Kafafi visited the United States, where she learned about a job that was open in the Optical Sciences Division at the United States Naval Research Laboratory (NRL).[5] Kafafi eventually joined NRL, where she established the organic optoelectronics section.[6] Here she worked on nonlinear optical materials and colour centre lasers.[2] She transitioned from chemistry to materials science and eventually ended up in physics, studying the properties of OLEDs.[3] Kafafi spent over twenty years working at the NRL, during which time OLED displays found their way into televisions and mobile phones.[2]

In 2007 Kafafi was appointed to the National Science Foundation Director of the Division of Materials Research, during which time she oversaw a billion dollar budget.[7] She was the first woman to hold such a position.[2][7] In 2010 Kafafi returned to Egypt, where she looked to develop partnerships that promoted solar energy across the country.[8]

Kafafi joined the faculty at Lehigh University in 2008, where she was made Distinguished Research Fellow in the Department of Electrical Engineering.[7] Here she has developed metallic plasmonic nanostructures that can increase light absorption and the efficiency of photovoltaics.[9][10] These nanostructures make it possible to increase the optical absorption of the active layer of photovoltaics without increasing the layer thickness, allowing for improved device performance without compromising the flexibility or weight.[7]

From 2011 to 2016 Kafafi served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Photonics for Energy.[citation needed] In 2014 Kafafi became the inaugural editor of the journal Science Advances.[6][11]

Awards and honours[edit]

Select publications[edit]

  • Kafafi, Zakya H. (2019). Organic Electroluminescence. CRC Press. ISBN 978-0-367-39283-3. OCLC 1105948784.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Zakya H. Kafafi - 2007 SPIE Women in Optics Planner". spie.org. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  2. ^ a b c d "OSA Election Slate for 2019 Offices". OSA. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  3. ^ a b Taz, Humaira (2019). "Zakya Kafafi: An international leader in materials research". MRS Bulletin. 44 (12): 969–973. doi:10.1557/mrs.2019.304. ISSN 0883-7694.
  4. ^ "Alumna's bequest supports young female scientists". Chemistry & Chemical Biology Cornell Arts & Sciences. 26 October 2015. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  5. ^ "Lehigh CPN Faculty: Zakya H. Kafafi". www.lehigh.edu. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  6. ^ a b "Zakya Kafafi: Making a mark with materials". P.C. Rossin College of Engineering & Applied Science. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  7. ^ a b c d Taz, Humaira (2019). "Zakya Kafafi: An international leader in materials research". MRS Bulletin. 44 (12): 969–973. doi:10.1557/mrs.2019.304. ISSN 0883-7694.
  8. ^ "Egypt's local initiatives with alternative energy". Egypt Independent. 2010-05-19. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  9. ^ "Solar panels as inexpensive as paint? It's possible due to research at UB, elsewhere". www.buffalo.edu. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  10. ^ Gan, Qiaoqiang; Bartoli, Filbert J.; Kafafi, Zakya H. (2013). "Plasmonic-Enhanced Organic Photovoltaics: Breaking the 10% Efficiency Barrier". Advanced Materials. 25 (17): 2385–2396. Bibcode:2013AdM....25.2385G. doi:10.1002/adma.201203323. ISSN 1521-4095. PMID 23417974. S2CID 13121924.
  11. ^ "AAAS Names Deputy Editors of Science Advances". American Association for the Advancement of Science. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  12. ^ "Zakya Kafafi". spie.org. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  13. ^ "StackPath". www.laserfocusworld.com. October 2005. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  14. ^ "2007 OSA Fellows". The Optical Society. 2007. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  15. ^ "AAAS Fellows 2007" (PDF). AAAS. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  16. ^ "2015 MRS Fellows". www.mrs.org. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  17. ^ CSW. "March 29th Dinner Meeting to Honor Awardees – Chemical Society of Washington". Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  18. ^ "Zakya H. Kafafi". Premios Fronteras (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  19. ^ "KFAS announces winners of 2018 prizes". KFAS. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  20. ^ "National Academy of Engineering Elects 106 Members and 23 International Members". NAE. February 9, 2021. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
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