Inmaculada Giménez García

Inmaculada Giménez García received her BSc and MSc in Chemical Engineering at Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain. For her Master Thesis she also studied at TUe, where she carried out research on the development of porous metal electrodes for advanced alkaline electrolysis. After finishing her MSc in 2020 she started her PhD in the group Membrane Materials and Processes at TUe.

The aim of the doctoral project is to develop synthetic methods to manufacture new ionomers and gas diffusion layers for next-generation polymer electrolyte fuel cells. This utilizes electrochemical methods on molecules with specific functionalities to control the properties of catalytic layers. Inma is the recipient of the La Caixa Excellence Award for Postgraduate Studies in Europe Fellowship.

Rens Horst

Rens received both his BSc. and MSc. degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Twente with a focus on heterogeneous catalysis and electrochemistry. During his studies he also studied Materials Science at ETH Zürich for a semester and worked on fuel cell electric vehicle hydrogen drive train for a full year. For his master thesis, Rens developed an open-source electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance that could be used simultaneously with in-situ surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy to study adsorption processes at interfaces. Rens’ internship was performed at BASF Netherlands and was focused on advanced ceramics. He was awarded a scholarship for both his bachelor and master studies from the Royal Association of the Dutch Chemical Industry in collaboration with BASF Netherlands and received the Young Talent Encouragement Prize from the Royal Dutch Society of Sciences and Humanities.

In January 2022, Rens started his PhD at Eindhoven University of Technology, where he will work on structural optimization of electrodes for low-temperature hydrogen fuel cells. He will focus particularly on the catalyst layer microstructure and the development of novel ionomer systems, coating techniques and advanced characterizations. In his spare time he likes reading fantasy and history books, doing small engineering projects, learning electrical engineering, hiking and just generally enjoying nature.

Winnie Kong

Winnie obtained her BSc degree in Chemistry from Utrecht University. During the bachelor thesis, Winnie performed research on self-assembling liquid crystalline nanorods. She obtained her MSc degree in Materials Science and Engineering at TU Delft. Passionate to contribute to sustainability she started her specialization in Materials for Sustainable Development. For her master’s thesis, she devoted her time to researching the influence of microstructure on the corrosion of 3D-printed implants.

In April 2022, Winnie started her PhD at Eindhoven University of Technology. She will work on platinum-group metal-free catalyst layers for next-generation polymer electrolyte fuel cells. In her free time, she practices Taekwon-do and has a creative outlet through baking and sewing.

Irene Sinisgalli

Irene Sinisgalli studied Industrial Chemistry at the Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, where she received both her BSc and MSc degrees in 2019 and 2021, respectively. During her bachelor, she worked on the development of a new catalytic system based on supported gold nanoparticles. For her master, she worked at the University of the Basque Country on the development of a new catalyst for the glycerol hydrodeoxygenation. After completing her studies, she performed research at the Chalmers University of Technology and participated in a joint project with SCA (Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget) on the valorization of the lignocellulosic wastes.

In April 2022, Irene started her PhD at Eindhoven University of Technology, where she will work on polymer electrolyte fuel cells. In particular, she will focus on the development of new coating methods of the carbon fiber substrate and alternative synthetic pathways for microporous layers. Apart from science, Irene also enjoys doing sports and every kind of outdoor activity, especially exploring nature. Last but not least, Irene has a lot of fun dancing like no one else in the world.

Mert Can Erer

Mert received both his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Chemistry from the Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey. During his M.Sc. studies, he worked on the fabrication and characterization of organic solar cells comprising functional conjugated polymers under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Ali Cirpan. Within the scope, he also studied the fabrication and characterization of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on both conjugated polymers and structurally-demanding conjugated organic small molecules.

In June 2022, Mert started his Ph.D. at Eindhoven University of Technology where he will be designing gas diffusion electrodes (GDE) with tailored wettability for CO2 reduction electrolyzers. His main focus will be on engineering interfaces with tailored surface functionalities and topologies to develop GDEs for electrolyzers with extended operational times and high product concentrations. In his spare time, Mert likes to do any kind of outside activities, but mostly interested in more physical hobbies such as going to the gym and playing football, basketball, etc. Most importantly, he is a former licensed tennis player, and would accept any challenge at any sports that includes rackets.

Senan Amireh

Senan received his BSc degree in Chemical Engineering in 2019 from the Jordan University of Science and technology (JUST) and briefly worked in the pharmaceutical industry following his graduation. In 2020, he was awarded the Amandus H. Lundqvist and Holland Scholarships to pursue a MSc in chemical engineering at Eindhoven University of Technology. He obtained his master’s degree cum laude in 2022 with a specialization in electrochemical engineering. In his MSc thesis, Senan investigated the interaction between power electronics (e.g. during dynamic operation) and alkaline water electrolysis.

In August 2022, Senan began his PhD under the supervision of Antoni Forner-Cuenca where he will be studying the electrochemical reduction of CO2 to ethylene. During his PhD project, Senan will manufacture advanced gas diffusion electrodes with controlled microstructure and hydrophobicity. Furthermore, he will optimize electrochemical reactor designs employing gas diffusion electrodes with a focus of achieving long operation times and high product selectivity. In his free time, Senan likes to cook, aquascape and maintain his fish tank, go hiking and enjoys natural sceneries, as well as physical activities like going to the gym and running.

Marina Tabuyo Martínez

Marina obtained her BSc degree in Chemistry at Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain, where she worked on the development of nanostructured sulfur cathodes for sodium-sulfur batteries. Afterwards, Marina received her MSc in Chemical Science and Technology at Complutense University of Madrid, Spain, where she investigated mayenite and other crystalline materials as sustainable thermoelectric materials.

In May 2023, Marina Tabuyo Martinez started her PhD at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). She works on the development of novel porous electrodes for low cost iron-air redox flow batteries. Her research will focus on understanding the chemical and morphological transformation occurring in the electrode during cycling and optimizing the electrode composition and architecture for improved performance of the iron-air redox flow battery. Outside the lab, she enjoys reading both fiction and non-fiction books, traveling and outdoors activities in the nature.

Ameya Bondre

Ameya received his BTech degree in Chemical Engineering from the Savitribai Phule Pune University in India. He then moved to the Netherlands to obtain his MSc Chemical Engineering degree at the Delft University of Technology. For his master’s thesis, he worked on a hydrogen-iodine flow battery, focusing on mitigating mass transfer limitations at the anode using a gas diffusion electrode. During his internship at HyET E-Trol in Arnhem, he investigated electrocatalysts for anion exchange membrane water electrolysis.

In September 2023, Ameya started his PhD at the Eindhoven University of Technology where he will work on low cost iron-air flow batteries. During his doctoral research, he will develop electrochemical reactors to enable high power density flow batteries. Besides working in the lab, Ameya enjoys reading and playing sports - cricket and tennis.

Fabio Scattareggia Marchese Di Giovanni

Fabio studied Chemistry and Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Pisa where he obtained his BSc and MSc degrees. During his bachelor he worked on synthesis of semiconductors doped nanoparticles (e.g. ITO), where he performed a study of the magneto-optical properties of these materials. For his master, he worked on the synthesis of ITO@In2O3 core@shell nanoparticles followed by their characterisation with optic spectroscopies and solid-state NMR.

In January 2024, Fabio started his PhD at Eindhoven University of Technology where he will work on the design and synthesis of novel 3D porous electrodes for oxygen evolution reaction and hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline water electrolysis. He will focus on understanding and engineering the geometry and composition of 3D metallic electrodes to reduce the overpotentials of water splitting reaction. Furthermore, he aims to engineer the two-phase flow transport by controlling the porosity of electrodes.

Apart from chemistry Fabio loves sports related with sail, in particular he is currently practicing kitesurfing and windsurfing. Moreover, he likes playing piano and following the chess world.

Yağmur Goctu

Yağmur completed both her BSc and MSc degrees in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at the Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey. For her BSc project, she mainly worked on the production and characterization of electroless composite coating on metallic substrates.

For her MSc thesis project, she synthesized and characterized ion incorporated CaCO₃ nanoparticles for biomedical applications. In March 2024, Yağmur started her PhD at Eindhoven University of Technology where she will employ surface engineering on metallic electrodes to improve the cell performance in alkaline water electrolysis.

The focus of her studies will be to reduce bubble-related efficiency loss. In her free time, Yağmur enjoys reading and painting, and she also likes travelling.

Hailan Ni

Hailan received her BSc degree in Chemistry at Zhejiang University in China. Her graduation thesis focused on synthesis and modification of cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries. Hailan then completed her MSc degree in Materials Science at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Her master thesis was to develop anhydrous solid-state conductors for hydroxyl ions.

In March 2024, Hailan started her PhD at Eindhoven University of Technology where she will explore localized in-situ techniques such as EC-AFM, SECM and SECCM. She will utilize these techniques to investigate the interface between electrodes and electrolytes in all-iron redox flow batteries to achieve better performance. In her free time, she likes reading books, watching movies, cycling and hiking in the nature.

Rik van Gorp

Rik’s studies focused on green energy systems. He obtained his Bsc. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Groningen and his Msc. Chemical Engineering with specialization in Chemical Process Technology from the Eindhoven University of Technology. For his master’s thesis, he developed a pore network and genetic algorithm to optimize the electrode microstructure for redox flow batteries.

He also completed a six-month internship at the international thermonuclear reactor (ITER). Here, his focus was on measuring the amount of tritium retained in the fusion reactor's first wall during operation and investigating strategies for its removal. Rik van Gorp started his PhD at Eindhoven University of Technology in June 2024.

His research focuses on the design and optimization of advanced alkaline water electrolysis to contribute to the deployment of cheap green hydrogen at scale. Prior to his PhD, Rik co-founded Heratec, a spin-off focused on commercializing sustainable electrodes for next-generation electrochemical devices. Although building a spin-off company based on a single fuel cell component proved challenging, he extracted valuable learnings from the project that he aims to apply in his PhD traject. Rik's hobbies involve playing sports, 3D graphics, and - when he has time for it - cooking.

Mathy Kelleners

Mathy received both his BSc and MSc degrees in Chemical Engineering from Eindhoven University of Technology. During his BSc thesis he investigated the effects of cell and electrode design on the electrochemical reduction of CO2 to formic acid. During the Master’s he specialized in electrochemical engineering and electrochemistry, where for his MSc thesis he worked on locally tuning the wettability of polymer electrolyte fuel cell cathodes to enhance oxygen mass transport and water management. For his industrial internship at VDL Hydrogen Systems, he performed a techno-economic evaluation on electrodes for alkaline water electrolysis.

In May 2025, Mathy started his PhD at Eindhoven University of Technology, where he will work on polymer electrolyte fuel cells electrodes. Particularly, he will focus on developing new substrates with tailored microstructures to serve as gas diffusion layers. In his free he likes to read books, playing (video)games, and draw.