Zachary Holman has had an impactful career during his time as a faculty member in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University.
The professor of electrical engineering, who specializes in materials science and engineering for solar technology, has been involved in various research efforts at the university, including helping broker agreements with industry and academic collaborators to expand ASU’s research impact and co-founding three startup companies in the materials science and photovoltaics fields.
One of his most recent achievements includes his startup company, Swift Coat, receiving a grant from NASA to adapt a coating technology for space helmets that reduces fogging caused by astronauts’ breath. Holman and the company’s co-founder, a former doctoral student who studied under him, invented the coating, which causes water to spread out evenly — and invisibly — instead of forming into droplets that block vision.
Holman’s accomplishments earned him the title of vice dean for research and innovation, or VDRI, in the Fulton Schools in fall 2023. He plans to use the platform to maximize the impact of the Fulton Schools’ far-reaching research, while emphasizing the need for industry collaboration.
“Partnerships are critical to the success and growth of the Fulton Schools,” Holman says. “We want to solve problems that matter.”