03/30/2012 12:00:00 AMChemistry and Materials Science and Engineering professor Francis D’Souza receives grant.Gary Payne Science/TechnologyCollege of Engineeringstory Francis D’Souza, professor of chemistry and materials science and engineering, will explore innovative applications in solar energy harvesting, thanks to a $390,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. With an international team of researchers, he will study the interrelationship between the supramolecular structures of nanocarbons and their electron transfer properties. D’Souza’s project could provide critical insights for light energy conversion as well as the field of optoelectronics. Through the grant, graduate and undergraduate students are getting hands-on experience in researching photoelectrochemistry and photovoltaics.