Doctoral fellow

ABOUT GHENT UNIVERSITY

Ghent University is a world of its own. Employing more than 15.000 people, it is actively involved in education and research, management and administration, as well as technical and social service provision on a daily basis. It is one of the largest, most exciting employers in the area and offers great career opportunities.
With its 11 faculties and more than 85 departments offering state-of-the-art study programmes grounded in research in a wide range of academic fields, Ghent University is a logical choice for its staff and students.

YOUR TASKS

We are seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate to start a Joint PhD at Ghent University and Hasselt University working on modelling the reliability of thin-film tandem solar cells. Tandem solar cells have the potential to increase efficiencies far beyond the Shockley–Queisser limit. While this technology has mostly been applied to Si and III/V materials, the rapid development of perovskite technology has opened new opportunities for commercially viable thin-film tandems. In particular, combining perovskites with Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGS)—one of the most efficient thin-film solar cell technologies—creates new pathways for flexible, lightweight, and semi-transparent applications. Both perovskite and CIGS offer adaptable band gaps, making them highly suitable for two-terminal tandem configurations with CIGS as the bottom cell and perovskite as the top cell.

Within this PhD project, the candidate will build on our existing advanced opto-electrical models of thin-film solar cells to focus on identifying and understanding their degradation pathways. Key tasks include (i) extending current models to incorporate degradation mechanisms such as ion migration, defect formation, and interfacial instabilities, (ii) applying data-driven approaches to extract degradation signatures and reliability trends from experimental datasets, and (iii) validating and refining the predictive power of the models through close comparison with accelerated aging and stability experiments. Tandem solar cells will be prepared, and opto-electrical measurements of the devices will be obtained at UHasselt to provide input for the models. The ultimate goal is to pinpoint the dominant reliability bottlenecks in perovskite/CIGS tandem devices and provide design strategies to enhance their long-term stability.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• You have experience with scientific computing.
• You demonstrate a keen interest in scientific research.
• You have knowledge of semiconductor device physics.
• You have excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Your English iis fluent, both speaking and writing.
• You have a mindset to efficiently learn.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

• We offer a full-time position as a doctoral fellow, consisting of an initial period of 12 months, which - after a positive evaluation, will be extended to a total maximum of 48 months. The start of the contract can be discussed.
• The fellowship amount is 100% of the net salary of an AAP member in equal family circumstances. The individual fellowship amount is determined by Team Personnel Administration based on family status and seniority. A grant that meets the conditions and criteria of the regulations for doctoral fellowships is considered free of personal income tax. More information about our salary scales you can find on https://www.ugent.be/en/work/talent/welcoming-new-staff/salaryscales.
• All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, 36 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, bicycle allowance and eco vouchers. A complete overview of all the staff benefits you can find here: https://www.ugent.be/en/work/talent/considering .

INTERESTED?

Send your CV, copy of your diploma (if already in your possession) and a motivation letter to johan.lauwaert@ugent.be. We do not accept late applications. For more information about this vacancy, please contact Prof. Johan Lauwaert (johan.lauwaert@ugent.be) and/or prof. Bart Vermang (bart.vermang@uhasselt.be).