Aaswath Raman is a scientist passionate about harnessing new sources of energy, mitigating climate change and more intelligently understanding the world around us — by better manipulating light and heat using nanoscale materials.

Why you should listen

Aaswath Raman is an assistant professor of electrical and systems engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also co-founder of a clean energy startup, SkyCool Systems, where he is its chief scientific officer. He initiated and led the development of radiative sky cooling, a technology that he originated as a research associate at Stanford University, beginning in 2012. 

Raman is deeply interested in the intersection of science, technology and development work, and he has previously collaborated on projects to redesign refugee camps with UNHCR and to rethink governance in rural Sierra Leone. In recognition of his breakthroughs in developing radiative sky cooling, in 2015 he was named one of MIT Technology Review's "Innovators Under 35."

Aaswath Raman’s TED talk