VARSHA DAHIYA
Bangalore
Summary
Renewable energy expert with 6+ years of experience in photovoltaics (PV), currently working at SERIS, NUS to advance Perovskite-Silicon solar cells. Strong background in solar cell fabrication, advanced deposition, and characterization techniques, with collaborations at IISc Bangalore, HZB-Germany, and the University of Valencia, Spain.
Passionate about driving innovation and developing sustainable solutions to make renewable energy more efficient and accessible.
Career goal: To apply my expertise and experience to drive innovation and lead impactful initiatives in the renewable energy sector.
Overview
2026
2026
years of professional experience
Work History
Scholastic Achievements
India
- Secured 1st rank in the University during Bachelor of Applied Science with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics, Hindu College, Sonipat. (2014).
- Awarded the INSPIRE fellowship by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. (2011–14).
- Ranked in the national top 1% among 1,200 selected candidates in the Promotion of Science Education (POSE), conducted by the government. Haryana. Awarded POSE Scholarship (2014).
- Secured merit ranks among the top five during the Master of Applied Physics, with a major in Electronics, and a minor in Molecular Spectroscopy (2016).
- Qualified and secured a rank in the top 100 for the Graduate Aptitude Test Examination, conducted by the Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD), and secured the GATE Scholarship.
PhD Student
National university of Singapore
01.2023 - Current
Project Assistant
Indian Institute of Science
11.2020 - 08.2021
- Institute: Centre for Nanoscience and Engineering (CENSE), IISc Bangalore.
- Setting up the Hall apparatus using a PCB probe setup to measure the mobility values.
- Deposition of V2O5 using pulsed laser deposition and noticed the effect of various parameters like pulse energy, temperature of the sample holder, pulse rate, deposition time, and plume angle.
- Optimised the film coating by using different deposition parameters and altering the gaseous environment of the deposition chamber.
- Measured the phase shift in vanadium dioxide samples using the X-ray diffraction (XRD) method, and obtained satisfactory results.
- Contributed to different collaborative projects to carry out various characterisations for the team.
Part of MTech. Thesis
Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin
10.2019 - 11.2020
- Institute: Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Germany
- Fabricated triple cation mixed halide perovskite solar cell devices with an inverted structure (PIN), and achieved an overall average efficiency of 20% and above.
- Studied the effect of various parameters, like spin coating speed and time, antisolvent techniques, and variation in thickness and material of transport layers, to optimise device performance.
- Optimised the device performance by work function tuning of perovskites using self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) deposited between the perovskite and carrier transport layers.
- Measured the shift in work function using Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) and obtained satisfying results.
Research Intern
Nanyang Technological University
05.2019 - 07.2019
- Institute: Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N) Singapore
- Synthesised 0D nanocrystals of perovskites using anti-solvent vapour-assisted recrystallisation approach.
- Studied optical and emissive properties of the perovskites using various techniques like photoluminescence spectroscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction.
- Fabricated light-emitting diodes (LED) devices of the p-i-n architecture by depositing thin films of perovskite molecules using spin coating.
- Carried out various performance tests on the devices to measure I-V response and analyzed PL data to visualize color emission and purity on a CIE diagram
Master's Project
IIT-Roorkee
02.2019 - 05.2019
- Fabricated perovskite-sensitised solar cells and studied their I-V characteristics.
- Optimised thin film thickness and particle size of the compact layer to improve the overall performance.
- Currently working on analysing the effect of mixed perovskites on the efficiency of the cells.
Department Academic Mentor
IIT-Roorkee
08.2018 - 05.2019
- Selected in team of 28 members from 76 applicants from the dept
- After interviews and peer-reviews
- Counselling 6 sophomores catering to their academic needs to help them achieve overall stability
Course Project
IIT Roorkee
01.2019 - 04.2019
- Created and unified team of 10; presented report analyzing methods & algorithms wave dynamics through optical fiber
- Compared different methods and prepared a term paper and presented the analysis
Coordinator, Placement Cell
IIT Roorkee
09.2018 - 05.2018
- Assisted in laying rules of competitions to be organized during test
- Contributed in collaborating with partners institutions for competitions
Teaching Assistant
Hindu College
09.2017 - 05.2018
- Mentored 50 first year undergraduate students and conducted tutorial sessions
- Focused on academically weak students and boosted their performance by solving doubts and taking continuous reviews about the difficulties faced
Education
Doctor of Philosophy - Electrical Engineering
National University of Singapore
2026
M. Tech. - Photonics
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, IIT
05.2020
Skills
- XRD
- Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
- Optical Microscopy
- Ellipsometry
- AFM
- DLTS
- Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD)
- Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD)
- Spin Coating
- I-V Measurements
- FTIR
- MATLAB
- C
Interests
Served as an Executive Member with Himalayan Explorers Club IIT Roorkee successfully lead many treks to different peaks of Himalayas. Served as a representative of girls in STEM fields to encourage more girls to contribute towards science and research. Regularly worked with different cultural & technical events like THOMSO, Cognizance and various Club introductory sessions. Regularly work for NGOs to help the needy students with various teaching and mentorship activities. Keen interest towards learning various Best out of Waste activities and making full use of it through different art forms.
Education
other
Positions Of Responsibility
- Teaching Assistant, 2017-09-01 to 2018-05-01, Physics and Mathematics, Hindu College, Sonipat, Mentored 50 first year undergraduate students and conducted tutorial sessions, Focused on academically weak students and boosted their performance by solving doubts and taking continuous reviews about the difficulties faced
- Department Academic Mentor, 2018-08-01 to 2019-05-01, Physics Department, IIT-Roorkee, Selected in team of 28 members from 76 applicants from the dept. after interviews and peer-reviews, Counselling 6 sophomores catering to their academic needs to help them achieve overall stability
- Coordinator, Placement Cell, 2018-09-01 to 2018-05-01, Departmental Representative, IIT Roorkee, Assisted in laying rules of competitions to be organized during test, Contributed in collaborating with partners institutions for competitions
Timeline
PhD Student
National university of Singapore
01.2023 - Current
Project Assistant
Indian Institute of Science
11.2020 - 08.2021
Part of MTech. Thesis
Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin
10.2019 - 11.2020
Research Intern
Nanyang Technological University
05.2019 - 07.2019
Master's Project
IIT-Roorkee
02.2019 - 05.2019
Course Project
IIT Roorkee
01.2019 - 04.2019
Coordinator, Placement Cell
IIT Roorkee
09.2018 - 05.2018
Department Academic Mentor
IIT-Roorkee
08.2018 - 05.2019
Teaching Assistant
Hindu College
09.2017 - 05.2018
M. Tech. - Photonics
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, IIT
Scholastic Achievements
India
Doctor of Philosophy - Electrical Engineering
National University of Singapore
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