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.fi ⋅ Paola Vivo (0000-0003-2872-6922) – ORCID
Senior Research Fellow
Murthy Grandhi
Postdoctoral Researchers
Joshua Karlsson
joshua.karlsson@tuni.fi ⋅ Joshua 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.fi ⋅ Dr 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.fi ⋅ Akhil 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
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
Yi Han
Doctoral Researchers
Basheer Al-Anesi
Paavo Mäkinen
Noora Lamminen
Sami Toikkonen
Doctoral Researcher
sami.toikkonen@tuni.fi ⋅ Sami 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
Milan Saju
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
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
Research Assistant
Second-year student at Tampere University studying Natural Sciences and Engineering with a major in chemistry.
Faezeh Hassani
Visiting researcher
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