Making a difference at the intersection of science and entrepreneurship

Transitioning to sustainable energy is a growing priority in our warming world, and some solutions may emerge from research conducted by Reese Grandy.

In the Organic Renewable Energy Lab of professor Bryan Koivisto, Grandy contributed to research on dye-sensitized solar cells, which can be more effective than the common silicon-based solar cells at converting sunlight into electricity. The study on these next-generation solar cells was published in June 2022 in Applied Sciences.

“It’s research that helps answer important questions such as, how do we make a more environmentally friendly and cost-effective solar cell? And, how do we create solar cells that work well in low-light, cloudy conditions?” says Grandy, whose work was supported by two Undergraduate Student Research awards from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

Grandy says conducting hands-on chemistry research—both in Koivisto’s lab and in that of professor Stefania Impellizzeri, which focuses on nanomaterials and molecular plasmonics—helped her develop a vital set of skills.

“I gained a lot of experience working with different instruments, equipment and procedures in the lab environment,” Grandy says. “But beyond all of that, I learned perseverance—how to get good at analyzing and solving problems.”

An elective course called CHY 599 The Business of Chemistry and Biology accelerated Grandy’s existing interest in entrepreneurship. For an assignment that required producing a proposal for a science-based business, she developed a concept for a use-at-home kit of scientific information and activities geared to adults.

“The course demonstrated how the worlds of science and business come together, which was eye-opening…I realized I have a lot of fundamental knowledge I can pass on to students who are struggling,” says Grandy, who tutors undergraduate students in the faculty and through her own business.

A high-achieving student whose academic accomplishments in chemistry have been acknowledged with the Chemistry and Biology Faculty Award, the Eugene Wertporoch Memorial Prize and the Frank G. Roughton Award, Grandy says her educational experience has been transformative.

“I never would have thought that I would become the woman I am today, more than just a woman in STEM, but a woman in business. Someone who has developed so much confidence and strength and intelligence.”