Yueh-Lin (Lynn) Loo, an associate professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Princeton University, is changing the future of electronics. The key? One word: plastics.

Loo’s research examines how electrically-active materials can be processed to make cheap, efficient, thin film devices (such as solar cells). Her manipulation of plastics could ultimately lead to technologies like tinted solar windows, color-changing sensors to detect water contamination, and smart plastic patches to monitor health.

In 2004, Loo was named as one of MIT’s Top 100 Young Innovators in their Technology Review, and since then has received numerous accolades for her groundbreaking work. Her research is currently funded by the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, and the Sloan Foundation.

Watch as she explains her work in plastic electronics and its transformational possibilities:

Image: video still via Volker Steger/Princeton University

Filed under: Chemical, e-News, Materials