Interfaces in perovskite devices represent critical bottlenecks that limit performance, stability, and scalability toward commercial deployment. This symposium addresses fundamental and applied challenges at perovskite heterojunctions, including non radiative recombination, ion migration, chemical degradation, optical losses and energetic misalignment at charge transport interfaces. We welcome contributions on innovative interfacial engineering strategies, such as molecular passivation, self assembled monolayers, buffer layers, and surface treatments, that are compatible with large-scale fabrication methods. Special emphasis will be placed on understanding how interface quality translates from laboratory-scale devices to industrial manufacturing processes, including blade coating, slot-die coating, and roll-to-roll production. The symposium spans both photovoltaic and optoelectronic applications (LEDs, photodetectors, X-ray sensors), fostering dialogue between fundamental interface science and practical solutions. Our objective is to identify scalable interfacial modifications that can bridge the gap between record efficiencies and commercially viable perovskite technologies.
- Interfacial recombination mechanisms and suppression strategies
- Molecular passivation and self-assembled monolayers
- Ion migration at interfaces and mitigation approaches
- Charge transport layer engineering and band alignment
- Interface stability under operational and environmental stress
- Large-area deposition and interface uniformity challenges
- Scalable interfacial modification techniques for industrial manufacturing
- Interfaces in perovskite optoelectronics (LEDs, photodetectors, X-ray detectors)
- Spectral conversion, texturing, and high band gap materials
Dr. Clara Aranda Alonso, received her doctorate degree in Science from University Jaume I in 2019 at the Institute of Advanced Materials (INAM) (Castellón, Spain). She worked as postdoctoral researcher at the Forschungszentrum Jülich and Institute for Photovoltaics (ipv) at the University of Stuttgart (Germany) for two years. Then she moved to the Institute of Materials Science (ICMUV) at the University of Valencia (Spain) as a Margarita Salas fellow. Currently, she is working at Universidad Pablo de Olavide in Seville (Spain). Her work is focused on the synthesis and characterization of wide band gap perovskite materials, both in thin film and single crystal configuration, for photoconversion devices such as solar cells, photodetectors and memristors, using impedance spectroscopy as the main characterization tool.
Dr. Monika Rai is a senior researcher and group leader at IUMAT, University of Hasselt, Belgium. She received her doctoral degree from the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), India in 2017. Before she joined IUMAT, she worked as an Alexander von Humboldt research fellow at the University of Stuttgart from 2021 to 2022, and a post doctoral fellow at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore from 2017 to 2021. She was also a Visiting Researcher at the Hebrew University Jerusalem, Israel in 2018. Dr. Monika Rai has worked on different projects including perovskite solar cells and modules, transparent conducting oxides and printing technologies with expertise in solar cell devices and their optoelectronic characterizations. Her current research interests include strectchable electronics and energy harvesting devices.
I am a University Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Energy Materials in the Institute for Materials Discovery, the faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at the University College London (UCL). I graduated from Sharif University of Technology in 2012 with a BSc (Materials Science and Engineering) and I received my MSc in Materials Science and Engineering in 2014 from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland. I completed my PhD in Physics at Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge receiving the 2018 Semiconductor Physics Thesis Prize from Institute of Physics. From 2018-2020, I was a Junior Research Fellow at Cambridge University and Wolfson College, Cambridge, where I set up a spin-out company to develop energy harvesting devices based on emerging semiconductors. I established my research group in UCL in 2020, with a focus on material and electronic properties of emerging semiconductors such as halide perovskites and organic semiconductors for low-cost electronics applications including solar-photovoltaics and lighting. My research aims to develop and incorporate new inexpensive materials in optoelectronic devices to alter the energy landscape by reducing the cost of both energy production and consumption.
You can find my publications, media activities and details of ongoing projects on my University webpage (https://iris.ucl.ac.uk/iris/browse/profile?upi=ABDIJ40).
I obtained my Ph.D. in 2014 from École Polytechnique, where my research focused on the development of original self-assembled nanostructures combining organic and inorganic components. This work contributed to the advancement of molecular electronics and allowed me to develop strong expertise in scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and ultra-high vacuum (UHV) techniques.
Over the course of my scientific career, comprising three years of doctoral research, nine years as a postdoctoral researcher, one year as a Research Scientist, and my current role as Assistant Professor; I have worked across several leading international institutions and multidisciplinary projects. Each experience has broadened my scientific perspective and strengthened my expertise in nanoscience, surface chemistry, and advanced characterization methods.
Following my Ph.D., I held postdoctoral positions in Spain at Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2) and CIC nanoGUNE, where I contributed to the development of novel on-surface chemical reactions enabling the synthesis of nanographene structures incorporating azulene moieties. This work advanced my skills in on-surface synthesis and in the atomic-scale manipulation of magnetic properties in graphene nanostructures.
I later joined Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) in the group of Prof. Yabing Qi, where I initiated research on perovskite solar cells. My work focused on establishing correlations between the fundamental physical properties of perovskite materials and the performance and stability of photovoltaic devices. During this period, I also developed leadership and mentoring skills by training and co-supervising two Ph.D. students, organizing regular meetings, and fostering rigorous scientific practices.
After returning to CIC nanoGUNE for an additional postdoctoral appointment, I explored graphene nanostructures hosting spin, successfully developing an organic nanoring composed of six coupled spins and investigating its spin excitations using low-temperature inelastic tunneling spectroscopy.
In 2021, I joined the University of Luxembourg as a postdoctoral researcher and later as a Research Scientist. Since June 2024, I have been the Principal Investigator of the “Light ON perovskite” (LION) project funded by the Luxembourg National Research Fund, where I lead a small research team. Since September 2025, I have been an Assistant Professor (Maître de Conférences) at the University of Upper Alsace, while continuing to direct the LION project. My current research focuses on understanding the fundamental mechanisms of light-induced degradation in perovskite materials, a key challenge for the commercialization of stable photovoltaic technologies.
One of my most notable scientific contributions is the atomic-scale determination of the surface structure of mixed-halide perovskites. This work has provided critical input for accurate band structure calculations and has influenced subsequent studies in the perovskite photovoltaic community. I also contribute actively to the scientific community through peer review for journals such as Solar RRL, Nano Letters, and Advanced Optical Materials, and I have served as a guest editor for the journal Materials (MDPI) since 2024.
I am deeply committed to mentoring and training early-career researchers. I have co-supervised Ph.D. students, emphasizing rigorous scientific methodology, critical thinking, and best research practices. I also initiated a biweekly journal club to strengthen analytical skills. My mentees have gone on to successful academic careers in Japan and Germany.
Beyond research, I actively contribute to teaching and public engagement. I have taught experimental physics and mathematics at the undergraduate level, participated in science outreach events, and contributed to renewable energy workshops for high school students through initiatives such as Scienteens Lab. These activities reflect my commitment to both education and the broader societal impact of science.
René Janssen is university professor at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). He received his Ph.D. in 1987 from the TU/e for a thesis on electron spin resonance and quantum chemical calculations of organic radicals in single crystals. He was lecturer at the TU/e since 1984, and a senior lecturer in physical organic chemistry since 1991. In 1993 and 1994 he joined the group of Professor Alan J. Heeger (Nobel laureate in 2000) at the University of California Santa Barbara as associate researcher to work on the photophysical properties of conjugated polymers. Presently the research of his group focuses on functional conjugated molecules and macromolecules as well as hybrid semiconductor materials that may find application in advanced technological applications. The synthesis of new materials is combined with time-resolved optical spectroscopy, electrochemistry, morphological characterization and the preparation of prototype devices to accomplish these goals. René Janssen has co-authored more than 600 scientific papers. He is co-recipient of the René Descartes Prize from the European Commission for outstanding collaborative research, and received the Research Prize of The Royal Institute of Engineers and in The Netherlands for his work. In 2015 René Janssen was awarded with the Spinoza Prize of The Dutch Research Council.
Dr. Anurag Krishna is an R&D Leader at imec with 12+ years of international experience in advancing perovskite photovoltaics from lab innovation to scalable, reliable technologies. His expertise spans device physics, stability engineering, module reliability, and process scale-up. He actively mentors researchers, contributes to clean-energy policy, and drives global collaborations.