An excellent way to enrich your experience: combining work and studies at UTU!

Hi! My name is Michael, I am currently a master’s student in the Mechanicals and Materials Engineering Department of Turun yliopisto - University of Turku in the Materials of Energy Technology program! Currently, I am also working as a research assistant in the LMD group led by prof. Konstantinos Daskalakis .?

What drew you to STEM??

Well, that is a good question. I believe it all started with my father and these little science and electronic kits that I was receiving as gifts. Many times, they started breaking down, and my father would always help me and teach me how to fix them. I was curious about everything and started asking questions of whomever I considered an expert, like chemistry or physics teachers. Then, I started to do my own experiments and play with the soldering iron and some basic chemicals such as baking soda and vinegar. So, yea, I would say that those were the main reasons why I wanted to pursue a degree in the STEM field and my experience so far in the university of Turku has been excellent!?

Working in an international environment requires a great level of communication and understanding of different working cultures and backgrounds.

Did you have any previous experience in research work before coming to UTU??

During my bachelor's degree, I had a chance to do research on perovskite solar cells for my thesis. This work resulted in my first publication. Afterwards, I did my internship at the University of Crete in the Physics Department, where I was responsible for designing and developing an electrochemical impedance spectroscopy setup. Finally, the opportunity arose to come to Finland to work on organic light-emitting diodes, and it was a great choice! ?

Wow, working and studying at the same time? Do you get lots of support from your supervisor to continue this path??

Working and studying at the same time can be tricky, but I do things that I love, and it keeps my motivation high. Thanks to my supervisor and his group at UTU, I can support my studies, and part of this research will also be utilized to complete my master’s thesis. So, working and studying simultaneously works well for me, and these two aspects also support each other to some extent.?

And what is your favourite aspect of research that you are currently doing at UTU???

I like the fact that I can constantly learn about cutting-edge technologies and fabricate devices for the first time, such as OLEDs (organic light-emitting diodes) and DBRs (distributed Bragg reflectors), which is quite exciting! The process of doing research, such as doing measurements, brainstorming?with colleagues, reading, and thinking about how to solve problems, is something that I enjoy a lot.

Working and studying at the same time can be tricky, but I do things that I love, ant it keeps my motivation high.

Our group is focused mainly on OLEDs, and I am currently involved in two projects. In the first project, I fabricated “special” mirrors called DBRs that reflect specific wavelengths of light. These DBRs are usually made with expensive and complex equipment. My job is to find a way to make them out of solutions, which can result in cheaper and fast production. They can be used as e.g., light filters, but we are more interested in improving the light characteristics of the OLEDs. The second project involves the actual OLED fabrication, and we are looking for ways to improve the light output characteristics. In simple words, we are trying to find ways to produce OLEDs to replace them, where classic LEDs have problems. We are looking for features like energy efficiency, sustainability, flexibility and, of course, affordability. ?

Did you always know that you wanted to do a master's degree in Materials of Energy Technology??

I found that this master's program just suited me perfectly, so I decided to apply for it while being already a research assistant. And it was a good choice, as it gives me, for example, a great opportunity to work with lab equipment such as spectrometers or thermal evaporators! The program is flexible, and I can arrange my courses?how I wish. So, to answer the question, I have always wanted to do a master's in science and engineering and the program here matches my requirements precisely.??

What are the skills that you learned during your studies and find them especially valuable???

So, for sure, I have learned research-oriented skills such as planning and keeping track of the data, which are crucial for conducting experiments. Though, I must be honest that, so far, my personal skills have turned out to be the most useful ones. Working in an international environment requires a great level of communication and understanding of different working cultures and backgrounds. ?

What do you like about studying at the Materials Engineering Unit???

I’m glad to be able to make new friends from all around the world and, at the same time, create a wide network of people from the same field. Therefore, I have been able to not only learn about subjects that I really enjoy but also to learn about other cultures.?People are so open-minded! And it doesn’t limit to the students only; also, the teachers are understanding and help you with everything related to the studies. What surprised me a lot is that the Finnish student culture is unique and fun. Finns do a lot of activities such as parties, gatherings, sitsits and I am glad to be a part of it!?

If you want to read more about research in the LMD group, check our previous post: Using Photonics to make fascinating white OLEDs and business | LinkedIn