Juliane

In The Lab

In the summer of 2022 I moved to Freiburg im Breisgau to start my own Early Career Research Group at the University of Freiburg supported by the Vector Foundation. At the same time I had the pleasure to take over the leadership of the Novel Solar Cell Concepts Group at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems. Together both form the Borchert lab.

When I started studying physics I wanted to understand how the world works at its most fundamental level. During my undergraduate at the Freie Universität Berlin I realised that physics not only explains many aspects of our world but can also be harnessed to make it a better place. During an intensive summer course to become a certified solar installer I realised that I wanted to use my curiosity and scientific mind to research the materials necessary for the next generation of solar cells. I moved to the University of Halle-Wittenberg to do a Master of Physics with a focus on photovoltaics. During an Erasmus exchange semester to the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, I gained first lab experience working on organic solar cell materials. Back in Halle I dove head first into my master thesis research topic: Co-evaporation of Perovskites for Solar Cells. From then on perovskite materials have fascinated me and my research has revolved around them. During my PhD at the University of Oxford I was part of the amazing Center for Doctoral Training in and Sustainable Photovoltaics and got to study perovskite solar cells and their deposition in depth. A Doctoral Prize from EPSRC allowed me to stay in Oxford after my PhD to continue on as a Postdoc. Next perovskites pulled me to the University of Cambridge where I was a member of the Optoelectronics Group as well as working closely with AMOLF research institute in Amsterdam.

Outside of the Lab

When not researching perovskite solar cells, I am an active member of a poetry writers group. In some of my poetry I have combined my science and poetic creativity. You can find some examples here. Furthermore, I love to sing in choirs, and enjoy hikes in the amazing mountains around Freiburg. I recently joined a Makerspace and look forward to hands-on projects combining woodworking, 3D printing, sewing, and laser cutting.