Gizem Birant is building next-generation solar cells in Genk
Gizem Birant is a researcher at EnergyVille/UHasselt, working on thin-film and tandem solar cells. Her academic journey began in Turkey, where she studied physics and gained her first research experience.
Eager to step outside her comfort zone and work in a more international setting, she applied for a European PhD project and arrived in Flanders in 2018. “Before I applied, I had never even heard of Hasselt,” she says. “But once I got here, I quickly felt this was a place where real synergies emerge.”
That multidisciplinary environment remains one of EnergyVille’s great strengths for her. She is drawn to the symbolism of Thor Park, where new energy technologies are being developed on a historic mining site. “Old energy and new energy literally come together here,” she adds. She also found an atmosphere that felt open, international, and supportive. After completing her PhD, she decided to stay, first as a postdoctoral researcher and now as a staff researcher.
Her work today focuses on tandem solar technology and on flexible solar cell applications. The aim is to broaden where solar can be used, including in agriculture, space, vehicles and other settings where conventional solar panels are harder to deploy.
For Gizem, 2025 was a significant year on many levels. She became a mother and, at the same time, took on a new responsibility as lead of the tandem PV research line within the Institute for Materials Research (IUMAT). “It felt like an important milestone in my career, and a real vote of confidence.”
Another highlight was the international TandemPV Workshop she co-hosted with Professor Ivan Gordon. “It was special to bring together more than 200 participants and, at the same time, raise EnergyVille’s international visibility.”