Asst. Prof. Arava Zohar

Education and Training

  • 2015-2019 – Ph.D. with Professor David Cahen and Gary Hodes, Department of Materials and Interfaces, Weizmann Institute of Science Unraveling fundamentalelectronic and optoelectronic properties that determine operation mechanisms of halide perovskite solar cells
  • 2012- 2014 – M.Sc. with Prof. David Cahen, Department of Materials and Interfaces, Weizmann Institute of Science Molecular modification of Sisurfaces and Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor (MIS) interfaces
  • 2004–2008 – B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University – Graduated cum laude

 Employment

  • 2025 – Assistant Professor, Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion, Israel.
  • 2021–2025 – Elings Postdoctoral Fellow with Prof. Ram Seshadri, Materials Department and Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara.
  • 2020-2021 – Postdoctoral Researcher with Dr. Michal Leskes, Department of Materials and Interfaces, Weizmann Institute of Science
  • 2008–2011 – Process Engineer for oxide layers – Intel, Kiriat Gat: Control over chemical and mechanical polishing of oxide layers, characterization of polishing matrix using nanometric scale tools to prevent defects (Zeta potential and DLS measurements).Worked in a team of 6 to maintain a 24/7 process line with an individual and shared responsibility to deliver outstanding performance.
  • 2010 – 2014  – High school teaching for sustainability, Beer-Sheva High School. Enrichment class teaching job includesindoor and outdoor teaching, experience on class and leading community environmental projects with the students.

Academic Awards

  • 2021 – Ben Gurion university Fellowship for Engineering and science postdoctoral abroad
  • 2020 – Elings postdoctoral fellow at the California Nanosystems Institute, UCSB
  • 2018 – Best poster award from “International Symposium on Energy Science and Technology conference,” OIST, Japan.
  • 2008 – Excellence Scholarship award from Makhtesgim Agan (ADAMA) for ungraduated students

Recent Conferences

  • 2024 – “Designing roles for new Anodes compositions: Exploring Earth-Abundant Transition Metal Oxides for Li-ion Batteries”. Batteries Gordon Research Conference, Ventura, US – poster
  • 2023 – “Screening Aluminum-Based Compounds as Low-κ Dielectrics for High-Frequency Applications”. NorthAmerican Solid-State Chemistry Conference (NASSCC), Calgary, Canada – invited Oral
  • 2023 – “Controlling Operating Voltages in Molybdenum Oxide Anodes through Inductive Effects”.
  • ECS spring meeting, Boston, US – invited Oral presentation
  • 2022 – “In Operando, Photovoltaic, and Microscopic Evaluation of Recombination Centers in Halide Perovskite-Based Solar Cells”. ACS spring meeting, San Diego, US and MRS spring meeting, Honolulu, US – Oral presentation
  1. Zohar, A.; Li, ; Zhou, Y.; Wyckoff, K.E.; Bologna, A.J.; Patterson, A.; Pilon, L.; Seshadri, R. Fast Charging from Low Li-Ion Migration Barriers in Wadsley–Roth NaNb7O18 Anodes Chem. Mater. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.4c02980
  2. Morgan, E.; Zohar, A.; Lipkin, S.; Monserrat, B.; Vaidyanathan, S.; Loeffler, D.; Zhang, R.; Schierle-Arndt, K.; Cheetham, A.K.; Seshadri, R. Screening Aluminum-Based Compounds as Low-k Dielectrics for High-FrequencyApplications, Chem. Mater. 2024, 36, 3, 1228–1237, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.3c01975
  3. Liu, ; Wei, Z.; Peng, L.; Zhang, L.; Zohar, A.; Schoeppner, R.; Wang, P.; Wan, C.; Zhu, D.; Liu, H.; Wang, Z.; S.Tolbert, H.; Dunn, B.; Huang, Y.; Sautet, P.; & Duan, X. S.; Deciphering the reaction networks for the sixteen-electron sulfur reduction reaction. Nature, 626, 98–104, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06918-4
  4. Zohar, ; Wyckoff, K. E.; Vincent, R. C.; Mates, T. E.; Seshadri, R. Controlling Operating Voltages in MolybdenumOxide Anodes Through Inductive Effects, Chem. Mater. 2023, 35, 5009– 5016. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.3c00354
  5. Zohar, ; Kulbak, M.; Turren-Cruz, S. H.; Nayak, P. K.; Kama, A.; Hagfeldt, A.; Snaith, H. J.; Hodes, G.; Cahen, D. In Operando, Photovoltaic, and Microscopic Evaluation of Recombination Centers in Halide Perovskite-Based Solar Cells. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2021, 14, 34171–34179. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.1c08675
  6. Zohar, A.; Levine, I.; Gupta, S.; Davidson, ; Azulay, D.; Millo, O.; Balberg, I.; Hodes, G.; Cahen, D. What Is the Mechanism of MAPbI3 p-Doping by I2? Insights from Optoelectronic Properties. ACS Energy Lett. 2017, 2, 2408–2414.https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.7b00698
  7. Zohar, A.; Kedem, N.; Levine, ; Zohar, D.; Vilan, A.; Ehre, D.; Hodes, G.; Cahen, D. Impedance SpectroscopicIndication for Solid State Electrochemical Reaction in (CH3NH3)PbI3 Films. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2016, 7, 191–197.https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.5b02618
  • Ceramic materials
  • Electrochemistry
  • Energy storage