Case Summary:

Armed with a Ph.D. in electricity and materials engineering, a postdoctoral research associate came to us seeking help for his NIW (National Interest Waiver) petition. Hailing from Nigeria, he had plans to work on developing advanced materials, with a focus on perovskite-based materials, for applications in solar cells, sensing devices, photochemistry, and optoelectronics. His goal was to utilize the relatively low cost and high efficiency of these materials and improve the efficiency and incorporation of one of the fastest-growing energy markets worldwide. We know for a fact that, while renewable energy as a whole has begun to take on a massive market share in the last half of the 2010s, solar power has proven to be the leading implementation. New installations of solar energy have risen by hundreds of gigawatts each year. This is what makes our client’s work even more significant in the present times. It was due to this that one of his recommenders said:

“[The client’s] work on improving solar cells is directly related to improving solar power technology as a whole. Developing ways to effectively utilize renewables is key to curbing the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere, which, in turn, is crucial to combatting the effects of human-caused global climate change. This is one of the most pressing issues facing the scientific community and the world at present, which means that [the client’s] work on these subjects must have our unwavering support, as he has developed novel technologies that significantly enhance the efficiency of solar cells.”

In addition, we discovered that his proposed endeavor has broad implications for the United States since the country is seeing a rapid increase in the installation of solar energy, problems with efficiency, and manufacturing costs are currently preventing wider adoption of this form of renewable energy. This gap has been recognized by the NSF which has extended financial aid to our client for his research.

Over time he has gathered academic experience as well which is evident by the 16 peer-reviewed journal articles (6 of them first-authored) that he has published. These articles have also gone on to influence his peers. That is, they have been cited a total of 130 times according to Google Scholar. At the same time, he has been invited to conduct peer reviews on 3 occasions at least. He has been working in the area for the past 6 years giving him experience and improving the reliability of his work as well. This is why he also received 4 letters of recommendation from other experts, one of whom said:

“[The client] is one such researcher who conducts cutting-edge research in the field of materials engineering on materials processing and device fabrication that has greatly enhanced the performance of pressure sensors and photodetectors. Such research provides tangible economic and scientific benefits to the aerospace and defense industry of the United States. As his research is directly aligned with the energy and defense interests of the U.S., it is imperative that he be given the opportunity to continue his U.S.-based research without interruption.”

These facts and recommendations helped speed along the adjudication process and get him the approval without an RFE. We are glad to have helped him in this process and our firm wishes him the best of luck in future endeavors.