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David Mitzi

Simon Family Distinguished Professor
Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
363 Gross Hall, Box 90300, Durham, NC 27708
Box 90300 Hudson Hall, Durham, NC 27708-0300

Overview


David Mitzi received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Engineering Physics from Princeton University in 1985 and his Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Stanford University in 1990.  Prior to joining the faculty at Duke in 2014, Dr. Mitzi spent 23 years at IBM’s T.J. Watson Research Center, where his focus was on the search for and application of new electronic materials, including organic-inorganic perovskites and inorganic materials for photovoltaic, LED, transistor and memory applications.  For his final five years at IBM, he served as manager for the Photovoltaic Science and Technology Department, where he initiated and managed a multi-company program to develop a low-cost, high-throughput approach to deposit thin-film chalcogenide-based absorber layers for high-efficiency solar cells. Dr. Mitzi’s current research interests involve making emerging photovoltaic materials more effective, cost-efficient and competitive for the energy market. He holds a number of patents, and has authored or coauthored more than 300 papers and book chapters.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Professor in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science · 2014 - Present Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Pratt School of Engineering
Executive Director of the Shared Materials Instrumentation Facility · 2025 - Present Pratt School of Engineering
Professor of Chemistry · 2022 - Present Chemistry, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

In the News


Published February 22, 2024
From Junkyards to a Lab: Grad Student’s Curiosity of Solar Energy
Published November 16, 2023
Which Duke Scholars Made the Most Cited List?
Published September 25, 2023
Building a Better Solar Cell

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Recent Publications


Interpretable machine learning on a curated dataset identifies chemical descriptors governing 2D perovskite solar cell performance

Journal Article Solar Energy · January 1, 2026 Two-dimensional (2D) hybrid perovskites are promising candidates for stable and efficient solar energy conversion, yet their complex chemistry and device architecture pose challenges for rational design. In this study, we compile a curated dataset—from dat ... Full text Cite

Layer Number Dependence of Chirality and Spin Polarized Lifetime in Chiral 2D Halide Perovskites.

Journal Article Journal of the American Chemical Society · December 2025 Chiral metal halide perovskite semiconductors (CMHS) are fascinating semiconductors with unique chiroptical properties and spin-polarized charge transport. Achieving long spin lifetimes and high carrier mobility concurrently is essential to realize the tru ... Full text Cite

P-Type Doping of Mixed Tin-Lead Halide Perovskites Using Electron Transfer to Mo(tfd-COCF3)<sub>3</sub> and F<sub>4</sub>TCNQ.

Journal Article ACS applied materials & interfaces · December 2025 Mixed tin-lead halide perovskites are emerging as promising candidates to address the toxicity issues of lead-based perovskites and to provide additional bandgap tunability for optoelectronic applications. Electron-transfer doping offers a prospective path ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


REU SITE: Collaborative Research: Nanoscale Detectives -- Elucidating the Structure and Dynamics of Hybrid Perovskite Systems

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2025 - 2028

Collaborative Research: DMREF: Data-Driven Prediction of Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Structures

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2023 - 2027

Center for Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Semiconductors for Energy (CHOISE)

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Renewable Energy Laboratory · 2019 - 2026

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Education, Training & Certifications


Stanford University · 1990 Ph.D.
Princeton University · 1985 B.S.