TU/e PhD academic award nominees

Epitaxy of Hexagonal SiGe Alloys for Light Emission

APPLIED PHYSICS

Silicon based light-emitting devices operating in the mid infra-red range is of technological interest for applications such as data communications, biosensors, LiDAR, etc. Hexagonal silicon germanium embodies an ideal material system for combining electronic and optoelectronic functionalities on a single chip, opening the way towards integrated device concepts and information-processing technologies. 

Technological innovations often stand on the shoulders of novel materials and fabrication techniques.

Dr. Elham Fadaly

Dr. Femke Meijer

Exploring Allosteric Modulation of the Nuclear Receptor RORyt from a Drug Discovery Perspective

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

Autoimmune diseases are a very common disorder worldwide. Deactivation of the nuclear receptor protein RORγt is a promising treatment because it reduces the immune response. In this research, we developed drugs that bind to an alternative, unique binding site (a ‘secret’ side entrance) of RORγt, which shows promising properties over traditional therapeutic strategies. 

Modulation of proteins via alternative strategies offers multiple benefits in drug development. 

PV in urban context - Modeling and simulation strategies for analyzing the performance of shaded PV systems

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

There is more energy arriving to the Earth from the Sun in one hour than the total energy consumption of humanity in one year. However, most people live in concentrated urban areas where finding space for solar energy generation is difficult. My thesis aims to facilitate the application of solar energy simulations for buildings situated in complex urban environments, contributing to a fossil fuel independent future. 

I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned.

Dr. Ádám Bognár

Dr. Valerii Muravev

Towards understanding the catalytic reactivity of metal-ceria interfaces

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING AND CHEMISTRY

Heterogeneous catalysis lies at the heart of chemical industry. Noble metals are highly active catalysts but are expensive and scarce. This work focuses on the development of novel catalytic materials in which every atom of precious metal is put to work.

Molecular understanding of catalytic materials enables development of sustainable chemical processes. 

Transient stability analysis for planning and operation of fault-initiated islanding inverter-based microgrids

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

The ongoing electrification of energy supply and demand increases the dependance of society on the electrical energy supply. Meanwhile, components in electricity networks are aging and their load is increasing. My research on fault-initiated islanding is a significant step towards securing the reliability of electrical energy supply towards the future.    

Fault-initiated islanding secures sustainable and reliable electrical energy supply towards the future. 

Dr. Martijn Roos

Dr. Feiran Zhang

Emotions in Design-Based Learning

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

When learning through making and designing something, will frustration be a "good" emotion? How can we support this learning considering the powerful forces of our emotions? This research studies the roles of emotions and explores affordable technologies and sustainable ways to help students' emotional communication and management in class.  

Emotions need to get us on the way, not get in the way. To facilitate this, I'm working on developing technologies that power self and social awareness of emotions so they can provide added values to our experiences.

Shared mobility, shared space? Cycling-based mobility services and urban-lock in the Netherlands

INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING AND INNOVATION SCIENCES

Why is it so hard to reallocate our finite street space towards more sustainable mobility modes? My thesis centres on a framework, the Legal Street, that seeks to explain the slow pace of this transformation by integrating transitions research on the power of mobility modes and everyday indicators used in urban planning, such as parking minimums.  

First we make our streets, then they make us. But the processes that decide what streets look like, and what they offer, and to whom, deserves more critical analysis. By taking a quantitative and qualitative look at mechanisms that shape our streets, we can sustain a wider social debate about what we want from this shared public space.

Dr. Brett Petzer

Dr. Lotte Romijn

Generated Jacobian Equations in Freeform Optical Design

MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTER SCIENCE

How do we transport light efficiently from A to B? That is the central question for the design of lighting devices such as streetlights, car headlights and satellites. Lotte Romijn studied the mathematics behind the design of `free-shape’ reflectors and lenses to make lighting devices more efficient and sustainable.  

There is much more mathematics to light than meets the eye. 

Novel mechatronic architectures for interventional X-ray systems

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Interventional X-ray systems are essential for modern-day medical treatments. However, their mechanical design was developed two decades ago, and is now limiting for the imaging performance. This thesis introduces three revolutionary new designs, which enable doctors to provide better healthcare to our growing population, with less risk for the patient.  

The best tools for technological progress are a blank piece of paper and a pen.  

 

Dr. Jeffrey van Pinxteren