People

Rani Mary Joy is a postdoctoral researcher in the Wide Band Gap Materials Group, where she completed her PhD (2024) focusing on stress evolution and color center growth in CVD diamond. Rani holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of Calicut, India, and a Master’s degree in Microelectronics from Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands. Her career began in the Dutch high-tech industry as a process engineer, specializing in PECVD of silicon oxide and zinc oxide processes for solar cell applications. She later joined the National Centre for Flexible Electronics at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, where she worked on thin-film transistor fabrication on flexible substrates. She has expertise in thin film synthesis and processing, including ALD, and epitaxial growth, her recent work has explored the structural and mechanical properties of low-temperature polycrystalline CVD diamond films. Her current research focuses on the fabrication and optical characterization of Group-IV color centers in diamond, with applications in photonics.

ORCID

LinkedIn

Essraa Ahmed is a PhD student in the WBGM of UHasselt currently studying charge transfer between diamond electrodes and Cyanobacteria. Essraa has a master degree in physics from Stellenbosch University where she worked on developing a near infrared femtosecond laser source for observation of charge transfer processes in semiconductors. Essraa's current research project focuses on studying the photosynthesis performance of diamond electrodes functionalized by Cyanobacteria under gamma irradiation. 

ORCID

LinkedIn

After completing her bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences at Hasselt University, Nora obtained a master’s degree in Bioelectronics and Nanotechnology. In 2022, Nora received a Frank De Winne fellowship from FWO for her research project focusing on sustainable hydrogen production for extraterrestrial applications. During this multidisciplinary project, she works closely together with the Belgian Nuclear Research Center (SCK CEN) and the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, combining expertise on the cross-over of physics, chemistry and biology.

ORCID

LinkedIn

Bio-engineer turned physicist, Hendrik is a PhD student in the WBGM group. He attained his Master of Science degree in bio-science engineering: bio-system engineering at KU Leuven. At KU Leuven, Hendriks work revolved mostly around nanoengineering nanoparticles for biomedical and biomimicry applications.

After finishing his degree, Hendrik transitioned to the field of material science by starting his PhD at the WBGM. Currently he is focusing on 2 topics. His first topic revolves around producing micro-heater devices that can be used to study temperature effects on (intra)cellular mechanisms. He is also interested in the thermal properties of thin-film diamond and its applications as heat spreader/electrical insulator in integrated circuit packaging and heater devices.

ORCID

LinkedIn

Sha Sha is a PhD student in WBGM group. Her previous research focused on infrared optical materials designed for use in harsh environments. During her Master’s studies, she worked on PVD-deposited optical coatings, CVD-grown free-standing polycrystalline diamond films, and sintered ALON ceramics, with particular emphasis on their optical performance and reliability under demanding conditions. Her current PhD research explores the mechanical and electrical properties of phosphorus-doped nanocrystalline diamond thin films.

She combines experimental and theoretical methods to understand how the structural characteristics of these films influence their conductive behavior. Through this work, she aims to provide deeper insight into phosphorus-doped N-type diamond semiconductors, clarify their conduction mechanisms, and support the development of diamond-based materials for future electronic and optoelectronic applications.

Josué Millán Barba is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Materials Science at the University of Cádiz, Spain. He has recently completed his Ph.D. (2024), focusing on composite materials reinforced with CVD boron-doped diamond for aerospace applications. Josué holds a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master's degree in Manufacturing Engineering, both from the University of Cadiz. Currently, Josué is a technical researcher at the CVD Diamond Laboratory of the Institute of Electron Microscopy and Materials (IMEYMAT), at the University of Cadiz, where his research focuses on the growth of n- and p-type doped diamond for electronic and composite applications.

Stephen is a visiting doctoral researcher from the Czech Technical University in Prague, pursuing advanced studies in applied physics. He collaborates with the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences under the Diamond Growth Research Group, supervised by Dr. Ing. Stepan Potocky and specialist Prof. Ing. Alexander Kromka, DrSc, both from the Institute. Concurrently, he is engaged in doctoral research within the Materiomics program at Hasselt University, focusing on the development and characterization of heterostructures composed of polyaniline and boron-doped diamond for supercapacitor applications. He holds a Master's degree in Polymer Engineering and is particularly interested in leveraging his expertise in polymer synthesis to advance energy harvesting technologies.

Karolina Rudziarczyk-Jagoda is a dental engineer at the ASKLEPIOS Dental Engineering Center in Gliwice, Poland, specializing in digital CAD/CAM design, 3D printing, and the development of personalized prosthetic and implant restorations. Concurrently, she is pursuing her Ph.D. at the Silesian University of Technology under the academic supervision of Professor Janusz Mazurkiewicz and industrial advisor Professor Lech Dobrzański. Guided by the principles of Industry 4.0, her doctoral research focuses on advancing material design methodologies and optimizing additive manufacturing systems, with a particular emphasis on applying ALD, CVD, and PVD coatings to 3D-printed titanium alloy implants and dental prostheses.