EcoRAMP Position - [EG-121-Dauskardt-2]
Applications are open until the due date: 9:00 AM PST December 1, 2025 for Winter Quarter
The Ecopreneurial Research for Accelerating Market Pathways (EcoRAMP) program offers an experiential learning opportunity for Stanford undergraduates to work with a research team on an active Sustainability Accelerator project. Throughout the engagement, the student will learn about both the development of sustainable solutions and the approaches for their externalization for real-world impact. At the end of the quarter, the student will deliver a short presentation highlighting their key learnings. This program is funded by Stanford Ecopreneurship and the Stanford Sustainability Accelerator.
Project Tagline: Mapping Commercial Pathways for Low-Cost Perovskite Solar Manufacturing
Primary Mentor(s): Austin Flick, Postdoctoral Scholar, Stanford Materials Science & Engineering
Project Overview:
This project explores commercialization pathways for an innovative spray-plasma manufacturing platform for perovskite solar module fabrication developed in the Dauskardt Group. The research will evaluate how solar energy companies—both perovskite-focused startups and established players in silicon, CdTe, and CIGS—have approached market entry, fundraising, and technology positioning. By analyzing these commercialization strategies, the project will identify opportunities for transitioning Stanford’s perovskite research toward real-world deployment. The work will help define how ultra-low-cost, U.S.-manufactured single-junction perovskite photovoltaics can compete in a market that often overstates unsupported stability claims. This work will explore how to position cost-optimized modules requiring significantly shorter lifetimes as an economically disruptive innovation.
The EcoRAMP Student Will Do:
- Conduct a landscape analysis of perovskite PV companies, both startups and established solar manufacturers, to document different commercialization approaches.
- Track how company pitches and value propositions have evolved over time, noting shifts in perceived technical or market risks.
- Summarize claimed technical differentiators—efficiency, scale, and stability metrics—for leading perovskite efforts.
- Identify investor segments and funding audiences (venture capital, government grants, institutional investors) most receptive to emerging solar technologies, especially those near Stanford and on Sand Hill Road.
- Develop a comparative positioning brief outlining how Stanford’s low-cost, short-lifetime perovskite concept differentiates itself from existing market claims.
- Contribute to the preparation of slides and a short written report summarizing market trends, funding trajectories, and recommended externalization pathways for the project.
- Participate in weekly strategy check-ins with mentors to share progress, receive feedback, and iterate analyses.
The EcoRAMP Student Will Learn:
- How emerging solar energy technologies move from lab-scale research to market adoption, including technical, financial, and policy barriers.
- Methods for analyzing commercialization pathways, including competitive benchmarking, fundraising pattern recognition, and investor landscape mapping.
- How to evaluate technology value propositions and identify differentiators in crowded markets.
- The fundamentals of technology externalization, including assessing stakeholders, investor alignment, and routes to scale.
- How to synthesize technical and market data into actionable strategic recommendations for sustainable energy innovation.
- Effective professional communication and presentation skills for technical and business audiences.
Qualifications/Skills Required:
- Interest in sustainability, energy technology, and commercialization.
- Experience with data organization, literature or market research, and report preparation.
- Strong research, writing, and analytical skills.
- Ability to work independently under faculty and postdoctoral guidance.
- Familiarity with market analysis, venture ecosystems, or startup dynamics is a plus but not required.
Time Commitment and Compensation:
- By participating in EcoRAMP, you commit 10 hours per week per quarter. We are looking for anticipated engagement across multiple quarters through Spring 2026.
- The student will receive a $2,000 stipend per quarter. Please note: stipends, prizes, or awards to students who are receiving other forms of financial aid for any purpose are a form of financial assistance and may require adjustment to your scholarship eligibility and /or adjustment to your overall cost of attendance. The Financial Aid Office has the responsibility to determine if these funds can be applied to meet your Student Responsibility and if other adjustments are necessary. Please contact the Financial Aid office before applying to ensure you are fully informed before making any decisions about your experiential learning opportunity.
Eligibility:
- Stanford Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors are eligible for this position. Note: co-terms who are in their first 4 years or 12 quarters of attendance and have not conferred their undergraduate degree are considered undergraduate students and are eligible for this position.