PhD scholarship in Sustainable Indoor Solar Cells for Ambient Light Energy Harvesting in IoT Applications - DTU Electro

Are you interested in developing thin-film solar cells designed to operate efficiently under indoor lighting and thereby contributing to the green transition?

At DTU Electro, you will have the opportunity to break new ground by harvesting energy from ambient light and help pave the way towards sustainable technologies.

The Thin-Film Photovoltaics Group at DTU Electro is seeking candidates for a PhD Scholarship focused on the development and characterization of highly efficient Sb₂S₃ solar cells. You will investigate materials, interfaces, and device architectures to understand and overcome the fundamental limitations of photovoltaic performance under low-light conditions.

The position is offered within the framework of DTU’s Alliances and Strategic Partnerships with Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), Estonia. You will be part of an international research collaboration combining thin-film synthesis, solar-cell fabrication, advanced optoelectronic and defect characterization, and device testing under realistic illumination conditions. As part of the PhD project, you will undertake a research stay at TalTech and work closely with researchers from both universities.

Responsibilities and qualifications

The PhD project focuses on developing high-efficiency Sb₂S₃ thin-film solar cells for indoor energy harvesting. The project will investigate how material properties, interfaces, and device architecture influence charge transport, recombination, and voltage losses under low-intensity illumination. The overall objective is to develop solar cells optimized for indoor light and demonstrate series-connected mini-modules capable of powering battery-free IoT devices.

Your primary responsibilities include

• Develop and optimize Sb₂S₃ thin-film solar cells by engineering device architectures and interfaces to enhance charge collection while minimizing recombination and voltage losses under indoor illumination.

• Characterize solar cells under different LED spectra, light intensities, and illumination conditions relevant to realistic indoor environments.

• Investigate defect states, interface recombination, and open-circuit voltage losses, including advanced electrical characterization during a research stay at TalTech.

• Develop and characterize series-connected indoor photovoltaic mini-modules for battery-free IoT applications.

• Supervise and contribute to MSc/BSc student projects.

• Document and disseminate the research through scientific publications and international conference contributions

You should have a strong academic background in physics, chemistry, materials science, nanotechnology, or a related field. Prior knowledge of semiconductor physics and photovoltaics, and experience with thin-film materials, solar-cell fabrication, optoelectronic characterization, or indoor photovoltaics, would be particularly valuable.

You must have a two-year master's degree (120 ECTS points) or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master's degree.

Approval and Enrolment

The scholarship for the PhD degree is subject to academic approval, and the candidate will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes at DTU. For information about our enrolment requirements and the general planning of the PhD study programme, please see DTU's rules for the PhD education .

Assessment

The assessment of the candidates will be made by Senior Researcher Stela Canulescu.

We offer

DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility.

Salary and appointment terms.

The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Please see DTU’s salary structure for scientific staff: www.inside.dtu.dk/en/human-resources/during-employment/salary/salary-structures .

The period of employment is 3 years. Starting date is the 1 February 2027. The position is a full-time position.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here .

Further information

Further information may be obtained from the Senior Researcher Stela Canulescu, email stec@dtu.dk .

You can read more about the Department of Electrical and Photonics Engineering at www.electro.dtu.dk .

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark . Furthermore, you have the option of joining our monthly free seminar “ PhD relocation to Denmark and startup “Zoom” seminar ” for all questions regarding the practical matters of moving to Denmark and working as a PhD at DTU.

Application procedure

Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 30 October 2026 (23:59 Danish time) . Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link "Apply now", fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file . The file must include:

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter)

• Curriculum vitae

• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of grading scale

You may apply prior to ob­tai­ning your master's degree but cannot begin before having received it.

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply. As DTU works with research in critical technology, which is subject to special rules for security and export control, open-source background checks may be conducted on qualified candidates for the position.

DTU Electro DTU Electro employs more than 300 skilled researchers with competencies in electrical and photonics engineering. As a department, we strive towards creating sustainable energy and a greener internet, as well as strengthening cyber security and health technology. Working with industry and public organizations is one of our top priorities to find and implement new solutions to our society. We aim to offer education, research, and innovation of the highest standard, and our focus on application-oriented research enables us to work across many engineering disciplines and research areas, such as IT and the medical and health sciences. We have a close collaboration with researchers from all over the world, just as we collaborate with industry and public authorities about the dissemination of solutions based on electrical and photonics engineering as their key enabling technologies.

DTU – For the benefit of society since 1829 DTU is one of Europe's leading elite technical universities. Through research and education at an international top level, we create solutions to the major societal challenges of our time and help secure Europe's global leadership in sustainable technological development. Since Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU almost 200 years ago, our mission has remained the same: We develop and create value through the natural and technical sciences for the benefit of society. DTU has 13,800 students, 1,600 PhD students, and 6,500 employees. We work in an international environment and have an inclusive, stimulating, and informal work culture. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland and collaborates with the best universities around the world.