Work in my research group explores photovoltaic cell materials and strategies to develop low-cost fabrication methods. We use Ion Beam-Assisted Deposition (IBAD) to control thin film orientation and enhance photovoltaic material properties. Understanding how to manipulate and control the orientation of films on the nanometer scale is important for a wide range of applications. Other members of my group focus on engineering a hydrogen storage material with high storage density (both gravimetric and volumetric), appropriate equilibrium pressure, favorable reaction kinetics, relative safety and low cost.