Who We Are !

Group leader

Prof. Paola Vivo

Professor of Material Chemistry, specifically Solar Driven Chemistry

I believe in the enormous potential of solar energy to solve some of the biggest challenges of our times, i.e. climate change and the rapid decrease in energy resources. I want to contribute to the world research on the next-generation solar cells by exploring novel materials and device architectures for efficient, stable, and nontoxic photovoltaics. Our research at the Hybrid Solar Cells team (HSC) aims at developing low-cost and eco-friendly materials in bulk and nanocrystals for photovoltaic applications. In particular, we design and synthesize solution-processable organic semiconductors and hybrid organic-inorganic halide perovskites. Finally, we optimize materials and device architectures to enable high-performing and stable solar cells with reduced toxicity.

paola.vivo@tuni.fiPaola Vivo (0000-0003-2872-6922) – ORCID

 

 

Senior Research Fellow

Murthy Grandhi

Postdoctoral Researchers

Joshua Karlsson

Postdoctoral Research fellow

joshua.karlsson@tuni.fiJoshua Karl Gunnar Karlsson (0000-0001-7281-1257) – ORCID

I joined Tampere University having been awarded a research fellowship by the Tampere Institute for Advanced Study as the first step in establishing an independent research direction. My current research project carries the title: “Controlling the Photostability of Next Generation Solar Cells”, where the objective is to understand fundamental photochemical processes leading to photodegradation of light-absorbing materials in next-generation solar cell technologies (dye-sensitised solar cells, organic photovoltaics and perovskite solar cells).

Research interests: physical chemistry, molecular photophysics, photochemistry, optical spectroscopy, organic dyes, microscopy, bio-imaging, solar cells, solar fuels, photodegradation/photostabilisation.

Skills: Absorption/fluorescence spectroscopy, time-resolved optical spectroscopy including time-correlated single photon counting, laser flash photolysis and ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, gas/liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, electrochemistry.

Other interests: Theatre, music and various mechanical projects

Krishnaiah Mokurala

Marie Curie Postdoctoral Researcher

krishnaiah.mokurala@tuni.fiDr Krishnaiah Mokurala (0000-0001-9258-2607) – ORCID

 

Current Research :

  • Self powered NIR photodetector for wearable health care applications.
  • Lead free perovskite inspired materials for indoor and outdoor photovoltaic applications.

Akhil Alexander

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

akhil.alexander@tuni.fiAkhil Alexander (0000-0003-4528-4134) – ORCID

 

Current Research :

  • Perovskite inspired materials for photovoltaic applications.
  • Charge carrier transport and recombination dynamics of photovoltaic devices.

Tuhin Samanta

Tuhin

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

tuhin.samanta@tuni.fi    Tuhin Samanta (0000-0003-0746-349x) – ORCID

Current Research :

  • Silicon-Perovskite tandem solar cell.
  • Lead-free, perovskite inspired metal halide solar absorbers.

Ceylan Doyranli

Postdoctoral Research fellow

ceylan.doyranli@tuni.fi

Yi Han

Postdoctoral research fellow

yi.han@tuni.fi

Doctoral Researchers

Sami Toikkonen

Doctoral Researcher

sami.toikkonen@tuni.fiSami Toikkonen (0000-0002-3274-8879) – ORCID

About me

  • Bachelor’s degree completed in spring 2020: thesis about flexible perovskite solar cells
  • Master’s degree completed in spring 2023: thesis about lead-free perovskite-inspired solar cells and indoor photovoltaics
  • Doctoral research started in autumn 2023: working title for dissertation ‘Perovskite-based indoor photovoltaics’

Research interests: Perovskites, perovskite-inspired materials, solar cells, indoor photovoltaics

Skills: Solar cell fabrication and characterization (1-Sun, indoor, quantum efficiency), X-ray diffraction

Other interests: video games, music

Ville Holappa

Doctoral Researcher at VTT ⋅ Ville Holappa (0000-0002-0809-4596) – ORCID

Eetu Karpiola

Doctoral Researcher

eetu.karpiola@tuni.fi

Milan Saju

Milan

Doctoral Researcher (Marie Curie)

milan.saju@tuni.fi  Milan Saju (0009-0004-6346-9276) – ORCID

I hold a Master’s degree in Physical Chemistry from Mahatma Gandhi University, India. Following my postgraduate studies, I worked as a Project Assistant at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, where I also completed my Master’s thesis research on colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals, focusing on their synthesis, characterization, and optoelectronic applications. Currently, my research centers on the development of inorganic charge transport materials for indoor photovoltaic devices.

Reem Khanfar

Reem
Doctoral Researcher (Marie Curie)

I’m a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions PhD researcher within the MENTOR project, with a strong interest in next-generation solar technologies and a particular focus on perovskite materials.

I hold an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degree in Chemical Nano Engineering, during which I conducted my thesis research at the Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy (CHOSE) in Rome, Italy. My work there centered on the chemical and electrical engineering of 2D perovskite absorbers, including optimizing ink formulations, fine-tuning annealing processes, controlling crystal growth, and fabricating p–i–n and n–i–p solar cell architectures.

Currently, my PhD research focuses on perovskite-inspired materials (PIMs), specifically bismuth-based perovskites for indoor photovoltaics, hoping to get one step closer to making solar energy more accessible, efficient, and environmentally friendly .

Researchers

Jussi Lahtinen

Bidyashakti Dash

Milla Baruffato

Milla

Research Assistant

milla.baruffato@tuni.fi

Second-year student at Tampere University studying Natural Sciences and Engineering with a major in chemistry. 

Faezeh Hassani

faezeh

Visiting researcher

faezeh.hassani@tuni.fi

Currently a visiting researcher at the Hybrid Solar Cells group (since April 2025), contributing to the development of next-generation perovskite solar cells. My PhD research at Tarbiat Modares University focuses on the optical stability of perovskite solar cells, exploring polymerization processes within the absorber layer. I have over three years of experience in thin-film deposition, high-vacuum systems, and advanced optical setups. My background bridges experimental photonics, materials science, and renewable energy technologies.

Alumni

Our former group members are listed here