We are pleased to celebrate two young researchers who have successfully completed their placements in our group and are now joining our alumni network.

March 20, 2026

This month, we are pleased to celebrate two young researchers who have successfully completed their placements in our group and are now joining our alumni network.

Alvar Martin Palecho joined us as a visiting MSc student from Technical University of Munich. During his time with us, Alvar focused on multiphysics modeling of thermal cycling-induced stress and failure in high-efficiency solar cells for low Earth orbit applications, under joint supervision with Markus Zimmermann. Notably, Alvar is the first MSc student to graduate from the Aydin Group. He has now moved on to a trainee position at Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators in Ljubljana, contributing to European energy infrastructure and market regulation.

The team says goodbye to Alvar.

 

Brooke Spraggon completed a six-month placement with our group, focusing on the fundamental understanding of molecular contact coverage on metal oxide surfaces. She will continue her academic journey in the integrated Bachelor’s and Master’s program in Chemistry at Newcastle University.

Just after the final presentation of Brooke.

We warmly thank both Alvar and Brooke for their valuable contributions to our research efforts. We wish them every success in their future careers and look forward to following their achievements as they progress. Their work contributes to our long-term mission of advancing realistic, high-efficiency solar cells for both Earth and space applications.