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Theses and Jobs

Ph.D. Positions

Two new Ph.D. positions are available through the end of 2026:

  • Development of time-resolved in-operando measurement setups and methods during MPPT aging
  • Functionalized carbon layers for sustainably scalable perovskite solar cells

Please send your unsolicited application to Lukas Wagner (lukas.wagner@physik.uni-marburg.de). We particularly welcome applications from women.

 

Theses

We look forward to welcoming new faces to our group. Join us! If you are interested or have any questions, please contact Lukas Wagner (lukas.wagner@physik.uni-marburg.de)

Open Bachelor & Master Thesis Topics

We are building a research platform for sustainable, high-efficiency, long-lived perovskite solar cells. The topics below are hands-on projects spanning fabrication, optics, electronics, and data analysis. Each one is an important building block of our lab. Most can be scoped as a Bachelor or Master thesis depending on depth. Interested? Get in touch and we'll find the angle that fits you. The application deadline for a start around October is 19.07.2026.

Self-Powered Outdoor Ageing Station

How do perovskite solar cells really hold up outdoors? In this project you build a compact, grid-independent measurement station that runs entirely off its own solar panel and buffer battery, including the maximum-power-point tracking electronics and a weatherproof physical enclosure. The result is a low-overhead platform we can deploy to log real-world degradation under sun, temperature, and humidity swings. Ideal if you enjoy combining electronics, embedded programming, and hands-on construction.

Optimizing a 27 %-Efficient Perovskite Recipe

Reproduce and push one of the most efficient perovskite solar-cell recipes published to date (a passivated p-i-n architecture reaching ~27 % efficiency). You will master the full fabrication sequence, self-assembled monolayer, perovskite absorber, surface passivation, and evaporated contacts, and then systematically optimize it on our equipment. A hands-on lab project for anyone drawn to materials chemistry and device fabrication.

Temperature-Controlled (Peltier) Sample Stage

Ageing experiments need precise, stable temperature control. In this project you design and build a thermoelectric (Peltier) stage for our sample holders, including the driver electronics and closed-loop temperature regulation. The stage becomes a core part of our accelerated-ageing platform. A rewarding mix of thermal design, electronics, and control engineering.

Hyperspectral PL Imaging with a Variable Bandpass Filter

Standard PL imaging captures brightness; hyperspectral imaging captures the full colour spectrum at every pixel, which unlocks quantitative loss analysis of solar cells. Using a continuously-varying ("linear variable") bandpass filter, you build and calibrate a system that scans the emission band of perovskite films and reconstructs spectral maps. This topic blends optical setup with hands-on data processing and is well suited for a Master thesis.

Solar Cell Measurement Chucks

A "chuck" is the holder that grips a solar-cell substrate and makes reliable electrical contact to it. Here you design and prototype measurement chucks, mechanically robust, repeatable, and well-contacted, that let us characterize cells quickly and consistently across the platform. A good entry project combining mechanical design (CAD, prototyping) with electrical contacting

Future topics for theses will include, for example:

  • Sustainability studies
  • Perovskite solar cell optimization
  • Carbon electrode functionalization
  • Development of measurement methods and electronics
  • Automated stability testing
  • AI-based data analysis
  • Drift-diffusion-based semiconductor simulation