Guest Foreign Scientist

IMG_1934 Maciej Zalas

Dr. Maciej Zalas studied chemistry at the Adam Mickiewicz University, Faculty of Chemistry, of Poznań (Poland) from 1999, obtaining his MSc in Chemistry in 2003 discussing a thesis on “Modified titanium dioxide as a photocatalytic water decomposition catalyst”. During this period he spent, in 2002, a couple of months for a training in solar energy technologies at the Plataforma Solar de Almeria in Tabernas (Spain) with the EU Fellowship Improving Human Potential Programme. In that year Dr. Zalas won the Archimedes Prize, a European Commission top prize for undergraduate students.

In 2007 he obtained the PhD in Chemistry at the Faculty of Chemistry, Adam Mickiewicz University of Poznań, discussing a thesis on “Photocatalytic hydrogen generation”. During the period of the Doctorate research activities, in 2006, he also won a Fellowship for the best PhD Student in Wielkopolska Region for his research in strategic areas supporting regional development. This fellowship was funded by the European Social Fund (75%) and Polish budget (25%).

In 2007, after a period of three month as a technologist-chemist at the PZ CORMAY S.A. (a producer and wholesaler of high quality diagnostic reagents and laboratory equipments), he became Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Poznań, and lecturer of analytical chemistry.

His main research activities are focused on dye-sensitized solar cells.

He was involved in the HPAW-CT-2002-80074 – “Photocatalytic generation of hydrogen from water” project, funded by the European Commission, Research Directorate-General (CORDIS) in the period 2003-2005 as main inventor. He is currently involved in the N N204 023538 – “Functional materials and electrodes for photoelectrochemical cells” project, funded by the Polish National Science Centre, for the period 2010-2013, again as main inventor.

He is author of 13 publications on international journals, mainly in the field of photovoltaics, particularly dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC).

During his carrier Dr. Zalas has acquired a large experience in chemical synthesis, both inorganic and organic, and in analytical techniques (UV-Vis, IR, NMR, XRF, XRD, GC and HPLC). Moreover he has matured an important competence in:

– DSSCs assembly and characterization;

– preparation and characterization of photocatalytic and photovoltaic materials.