Since Dr. Vidal joined NREL in 2010, she has established an international reputation for her cutting-edge work on thermal systems. In performing that research, she built first-class capabilities such as the Thermal Storage Materials Laboratory and the Thermal Systems Process and Components Laboratory at NREL for measuring the full range of thermophysical material properties and performing material degradation evaluations. Dr. Vidal is also a joint faculty member at the Colorado School of Mines.

She has published dozens of articles on her work in journals such as Nature Materials Degradation, and she has received prestigious awards such as the NREL Distinguished Member of Research Staff in February 2021 and the NREL Chairman's Award in 2017. Dr. Vidal is also the NREL Sub-Program Lead for Buildings Emerging Technologies. She has successfully led a variety of Department of Energy projects, collaborating with other national laboratories and institutions around the world.

Dr. Vidal has diversified her expertise and capabilities in several technologies, such as building emerging technologies, water splitting electrolysis, fuel cells, thermoelectrics, biofuels, and concentrating solar power. Her collaborative efforts, domestically and internationally, cover several technologies and leverage R&D activities for early-stage research to create efficient and interactive buildings to help decrease energy consumption.