Doctoral Researchers in Photovoltaics for EU-Funded Program

Are you an ambitious engineer or aspiring researcher interested in continuing your academic journey and simultaneously contribute to the development of high-performance low light photovoltaics, leading to a better world? In collaboration with MENTOR and Tampere University, the Swedish energy impact company Epishine offers two exciting 3 year-projects with the ambition to lead talented researchers to a doctorate degree. Perhaps one of them will be you?

About Epishine

Epishine is a Swedish energy impact company, reimagining the capture of light with market leading printed organic solar cells. Our technology captures indoor light to make electronics self-powered, making cables, disposable batteries and unnecessary maintenance a thing of the past. At Epishine, we foster a culture of collaboration, creativity and innovation where we encourage our employees to challenge the status quo and drive innovation. Our company is now growing and we are looking for more driven talents who want to grow and develop together with us! Go to www.epishine.com to read more about Epishine and our vision.

About MENTOR

MENTOR is a research initiative granted by the European Research Executive Agency. The project will provide a comprehensive and versatile technical platform for the development of next-generation indoor photovoltaics (IPVs) that efficiently re-use energy from artificial illumination to power electronics, eventually contributing to an energy- and climate-neutral future.

MENTOR aims to unlock the full potential of IPVs through the establishment of the first international network of 8 universities, 7 industrial partners, and 5 research centers. This network will establish an interdisciplinary, intersectoral, and global program of doctoral training and research that propels the development of new leaders capable of directing academic and industrial R&D on renewable energy, electronics, and sustainability through the successful implementation of 16 doctoral candidate individual projects. To read more about the MENTOR program, go to https://projects.tuni.fi/mentor/

Project task and objectives

In the MENTOR program, two doctoral candidates will be working on projects facilitated by Epishine for 3 years, starting from March 2025. Whilst the candidates will be enrolled in a doctoral program at Tampere University, who will be awarding your doctorate degree once the research is complete, you will be based in Epishine’s office in Linköping, Sweden. The project also includes two planned secondments (duration period 3-4 months) within Europe during the project period.

Two PhD projects will be carried out in parallel with a significant amount of overlap and possibilities of collaboration between the two of them. The overarching aim of both projects is to further the understanding of underlaying phenomena in the photovoltaic components that determines their overall efficiency and operational stability. As the projects are set in an industrial environment, more emphasis will be placed on the problem statement rather than a deep dive into a particular scientific question. That said, it will be imperative to relate the work to the wider theory of organic photovoltaics which includes physics, electronics and material science.

The two projects, as stated above, will overlap to a certain degree. The first project will focus on understanding the degradation pathways primarily associated with the electron transport material in PV cells. The goal is to develop a mechanistic understanding of the failure processes, which may involve identifying diffusion or reaction phenomena caused by species—whether intentionally introduced or as contaminants—present in the system. This knowledge will then be applied to enhance the efficiency and stability of the PV cell.

The second project will focus on the dynamics of upscaling the deposition process for materials used in PV cells, with particular emphasis on the photoactive layer. Optimizing the morphology between the two semiconductors that make up the photoactive material is likely the most critical challenge in the field of OPV, as it establishes the fundamental conditions for charge generation and transport. The formation of this morphology involves a complex interplay of kinetics, thermodynamics, and the industrial constraints, requiring careful and sophisticated engineering.

For both projects a balance has to be struck between addressing the problem statement in terms of a solution to said problem as well as the theoretical framework surrounding the issue.

While there is ample support available from both direct supervisors and several OPV PhD holders within the technical team, the project remains highly individualized. We provide you with the project topic and problem statement, but the path forward is yours to define. Think of it as us giving you a map and a compass—it's your responsibility to chart the course and navigate the journey.

Who are we looking for?

For this project, we are looking for someone with a Master of Science in chemistry, physics or material science. If your educational background is not within these fields, please motivate how your education overlaps these fields. To be eligible for the MENTOR project, you must not have resided or carried out your main activity (work, studies, etc) in Sweden for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the recruitment. You must also be eligible to be enrolled into a Doctoral Program at Tampere University, and not have been awarded a doctoral degree previously.

Whilst academic and professional merits are important, we also value your personal competencies. We are looking for a personable individual who is friendly, approachable and easy to get along with. You have natural problem-solving and analytical skills which supports your creativity, critical thinking and decision-making when working with complex issues. We also value your ability to be self-reliant and taking responsibility for structuring your tasks and driving your processes forward on your own, demonstrating your initiative and perseverance to stay focused on long-term objectives. Again, we provide the map and the compass in the project, but you’re the one responsible for figuring out the way forward.

Terms of employment and application procedure

Go to https://careers.epishine.com/jobs/4925321-doctoral-researchers-in-photovoltaics-for-eu-funded-program to read more about the application procedure and employment terms!