Imagine a future where light itself powers our devices. For example, this crystal can charge our smartphone. Another one can double the efficiency of our solar panels. Although they look different, both are semiconductors. These materials capture light and convert it into energy. When light strikes the material, the electrons get excited. The excited electrons store the energy. For this process to be truly effective the materials must absorb a wide arrange of light, from infrared to ultraviolet while they still conduct charge very quickly. This requires a deep understanding of how light interacts with materials’electrons and ions on a very small scale. This is where my work comes in. I use advanced computer simulations to predict how materials behave before they are even created, thereby accelerating the design of better semiconductors, so that — in the future — your phone can be charged directly by the sun.