New Opportunities for students in energy research:
Leading scientists presented the research programme for the two new graduate schools, HZB is organising together with HUB and UP.
© Jennifer Bierbaum/HZB
HZB starts two Graduate Schools with Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Universität Potsdam
Friday, 27 March 2015, the start of two new graduate schools on solar energy research was celebrated at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB). Hybrid4Energy, the Graduate School of Hybrid Materials for Efficient Energy Generation and Information Technologies, is a joint venture of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HUB) and HZB. The Graduate School HyPerCell focuses on a new type of thin film solar cells based on hybrid perovskite absorber materials and is organised by Universität Potsdam (UP) and HZB.
Opened by Prof. Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla, Scientific Director HZB, Prof. Jan-Hendrick Olbertz, President HUB and Prof. Robert Seckler, Vice President for Research and Junior Academics at UP, leading scientists of HZB and both universities gave overviews about the research programmes.
Hybrid4Energy, the Graduate School of Hybrid Materials for Efficient Energy Generation and Information Technologies, is a coordinated programme of the HUB and the HZB. It offers a structured, three-year period of multidisciplinary lectures and research on hybrid organic/inorganic systems for electronic, optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices. The knowledge gained will then be applied to the fields of renewable energy and next generation information technology. The programme embraces the full range of experiments and theory, physics and chemistry, as well as fundamental and applied research. This will allow the participants to bridge commonly separated disciplines of research, which will enable novel research approaches and concepts. The research-based training will be supplemented by measures to support the provision of key competences, under the guidance of the Humboldt Graduate School (HGS) of the HUB.
The Graduate School on Perovskites, HyPerCell, is organized by Universität Potsdam (UP) and HZB. Students will work on a new type of thin film solar cells based on so-called organometallic perovskites. Despite the recent achievements reported for perovskite-based solar cells, many basic material properties including charge transport and recombination processes are not yet understood on a fundamental level. Currently, the highest efficiencies for these solar cells are achieved using a lead-based compound. Therefore a partial or complete replacement of this metal by a non-toxic alternative will be one of the goals of the research programme. Since research on perovskite solar cells is highly interdisciplinary, the school will provide PhD students with comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the chemistry and physics of perovskite-based tandem devices during a structured, three-year curriculum. The programme comprises lectures, lab-courses, workshops and seminar, offered by renowned specialists in their respective field. The research-based training will be supplemented by measures to support the provision of key competences, under the guidance of the Potsdam Graduate School (PoGS) of the UP.
More Information on Hybrid4Energy
More Information on HyPerCell
- Materials chemistry shapes the future of catalysisThe synthesis of materials can serve as a tool for developing smart, adaptive electrocatalysts. This rapidly evolving field of research involves in-situ analytics, data-driven discoveries and autonomous robotics. These new approaches could accelerate the discovery of long-lasting and efficient catalysts for future energy conversion and the decarbonisation of the chemical industry. A recent article by Dr Prashanth Menezes and his team in the renowned journal Angewandte Chemie provides an overview of this research.
- Cool vaccines in rural Kenya: solar solution has been awarded by UNIn May 2026, Tabitha Awuor Amollo is spending some weeks as a guest scientist at HZB, analysing perovskite thin films at BESSY II. The Kenyan physicist from Egerton University, Nairobi, was recently recognised for her achievements in research and teaching. For the development of a solar-powered refrigeration system for use in rural health centres, she has been awarded the 2026 Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD)-Elsevier Foundation Award. An interview on exceptional projects and daily struggles of a scientist. Questions were asked by Antonia Rötger.
- BESSY II: How intrinsic oxygen shortens the lifespan of solid-state batteriesAlthough solid-state batteries (SSBs) demonstrate high performance and are intrinsically safe, their capacity currently declines rapidly. A team from the TU Wien, Humboldt-University Berlin and HZB has now analysed a TiS₂|Li₃YCl₆ solid-state half-cell in operando at BESSY II using a special sample environment that allows for non-destructive investigation under real operating conditions. Data obtained by combination of soft and hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS and HAXPES) revealed a new degradation mechanism that had not previously been identified in solid-state batteries. They have gained some surprising insights, particularly regarding the harmful role played by intrinsic oxygen. This study provides valuable information for improving design and handling of such batteries.