Tom Aernouts

Dr. Tom Aernouts received his M.Sc. in semiconductor physics in 1998, and a Ph.D. in Science in 2006, both from the KU Leuven, Belgium. He initiated the research on thin-film solar cells at imec in 1999. Working on the fundamental understanding of organic solar cells and developing bulk heterojunction solar cells and fully flexible modules until 2006, Tom has since led imec’s thin-film PV group, steering imec’s thin-film PV research activities. The group expanded its activities in 2014 with the work on hybrid, perovskite-based thin-film solar cells and in 2018, with the move to EnergyVille, extended the device size to 35x35cm². As of October 2021, Dr. Aernouts leads the merger of thin-film PV activities at imec and imo-imomec/EnergyVille, broadening the activity into CIGS, Kesterites and other novel material systems.