Perovskite PV
expertise. Proven results.

Consulting services in advanced perovskite solar cell R&D, product testing, and deployment. Specialised in scalable PV materials, data-driven analysis, and verification for renewable energy projects.
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Advanced photovoltaic materials expertise

Specialised solutions for solar innovation

Perovskite expertise

Design, fabrication, and optimisation of perovskite solar cells for research and industry applications.

R&D project leadership

End-to-end management of photovoltaic and renewable energy research projects, from planning to reporting.

Scale-up for novel PV

Strategies for transitioning advanced PV technologies from laboratory to commercial production.

Testing and verification

Independent evaluation of PV device performance, reliability, and compliance with industry standards.

Deployment support

Integration of advanced PV systems, including site assessment and feasibility analysis.

Data and analytics

Development of data infrastructure for monitoring and reporting PV system performance.

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About

5 Points to drive success

1.Industrial Test System Design & Automation – LabVIEW and Python-based solutions tailored for advanced materials and energy applications.
2.Scale-Up & Process Development – Bridging lab innovation to industrial production with proven scale-up experience.
3.Data Analysis & Visualisation – Python dashboards and analytics to drive insight and performance improvements.
4.Collaborative R&D Leadership – Experience leading teams, supervising researchers, and managing multi-partner projects.
5.Grant & Funding Success – Track record of winning national and European research and innovation funding.

Key experience

Academic Foundations
‍PhD focused on next-generation solar cells, including perovskite fabrication, single-crystal synthesis, and advanced characterisation (XRD, AFM, SEM).
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Developed and programmed novel electronic test methods using LabVIEW and computational drift–diffusion modelling.
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Published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at international conferences.
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Skilled in 3D CAD design and PCB design.
Industry (Power Roll, 2022–)
‍Designed and automated industrial testing equipment and routines (LabVIEW & Python).

Led data analysis and dashboard development to improve decision-making and efficiency.

Managed projects and supervised teams of PhD students and postdocs.

Built successful collaborations with both academic and industrial partners.

Partnered with external companies to design, specify, and implement industrial-scale tools and processes.

Played a key role in scaling up production processes, ensuring smooth transition from lab to industry.

Secured competitive funding, including: Three rounds of Measurement for Business with NPL. Two accepted proposals with Diamond Light Source. European grants supporting large-scale innovation
Proven project management, scientific guidance, product prototyping and programming expertise that bridges the gap between cutting-edge science and scalable industrial solutions.
Q&A

Your photovoltaic questions, answered.

Explore detailed answers on consultancy, perovskite solar cells, R&D, and advanced PV solutions for your business.

Which consultancy services are available?

A depth of expertise in perovskite solar cell technology, R&D strategy, product testing, and deployment of advanced PV solutions. Support spans both academic research and industrial scale-up. Previous projects include building automated solar simulators, including live maximum power point tracking, for both indoor and outdoor applications, alongside materials development with environmental assessment and monitoring.

What is your photovoltaic background?

PhD in perovskite photovoltaics and 3+ years in industry, specialising in scaling flexible PV products and developing performance analysis dashboards. I have several leading academic publications and have developed a novel electrical characterisation technique that probes the fundamentals of perovskite device physics.

How do you assist product development?

Support covers material selection, process optimisation, testing protocols, and verification to ensure reliable performance and market readiness. I can work from proof of concept, prototype solutions and build software to support development and design user dashboards to present and track live information for company executives. Project management and delivery services are available. I can work in multidisciplinary teams to provide industrial support on short and long-term projects.

Do you offer data analytics support?

Yes, services include designing data warehouses and dashboards for internal and client use, enabling data-driven decisions and transparent project tracking.

Publications

2025

Back-Contact Perovskite Solar Cells: Progress, Challenges and the Future
Blackburn, D., Hill, N. S., Sirbu, D., & Lidzey, D. G. (2025). ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 17(39), 54329–54340. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.5c09718
Back-Contact Perovskite Solar Cell Modules Fabricated Via Roll-to-Roll Slot-Doe Coating: Scale-up toward Manufacturing
Blackburn, D., Hill, N. S., Wood, C. J., Velusamy, T., Nieto-Díaz, B. A., Woolley, C., Brown, A., Zampelis, L., McArdle, T., Worth, M., Thornber, T., Albariqi, I., Kilbride, R. C., Yang, T., Hunter, C. N., Leggett, G. J., Koutsourakis, G., Blakesley, J. C., Castro, F. A., Beynon, D., Watson, T. M., Sirbu, D., & Lidzey, D. G. (2025). ACS Applied Energy Materials, 8(4), 2219–2228. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.4c02734

2024

Illuminating the Devolution of Perovskite Passivation Layers
Giza, M., Kozikov, A., Lalaguna, P.L., Hutchinson, J.D., Verma, V., Vella, B., Kumar, R., Hill, N., Sirbu, D., Arca, E., Healy, N., Milot, R.L., Kadodwala, M. and Docampo, P. (2024),. Small Struct., 5: 2400234. https://doi.org/10.1002/sstr.202400234
Few-mode metal-free perovskite optical fibre with second-order optical nonlinearity
Tsui, H. C. L., Sirbu, D., Alsaif, N., Hill, N., Tizzard, G., Docampo, P., & Healy, N. (2024). APL Photonics, 9(3), 036106. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0186789
Untangling free carrier and exciton dynamics in layered hybrid perovskites using ultrafast optical and terahertz spectroscopy
Balogun, F. H., Gallop, N. P., Sirbu, D., Hutchinson, J. D., Hill, N., Woolley, J. M., Walker, D., York, S., Docampo, P., & Milot, R. L. (2024). Materials Research Express, 11(2), 025503. https://doi.org/10.1088/2053-1591/ad14c2
The balancing act between high electronic and low ionic transport influenced by perovskite grain boundaries
Glück, N., Hill, N. S., Giza, M., Hutter, E., Grill, I., Schlipf, J., Bach, U., Müller-Buschbaum, P., Hartschuh, A., Bein, T., Savenije, T., & Docampo, P. (2024). The balancing act between high electronic and low ionic transport influenced by perovskite grain boundaries. Journal of Materials Chemistry A: Materials for Energy and Sustainability, 12(19), 11635–11643. https://doi.org/10.1039/d3ta04458k
Post transition metal substituted Keggin-type POMs as thin film chemiresistive sensors for H₂O and CO₂ detection
Seddon, A. A., Hill, N. S., El-Zubir, O., Houlton, A., Errington, R. J., Docampo, P., & Gibson, E. A. (2024). Post transition metal substituted Keggin-type POMs as thin film chemiresistive sensors for H₂O and CO₂ detection. Chemical Communications, 60(14), 1876–1879. https://doi.org/10.1039/d3cc05660k

2023

Ionic Accumulation as a Diagnostic Tool in Perovskite Solar Cells: Characterizing Band Alignment with Rapid Voltage Pulses
Hill, N. S., Cowley, M. V., Gluck, N., Fsadni, M. H., Clarke, W., Hu, Y., Wolf, M. J., Healy, N., Freitag, M., Penfold, T. J., Richardson, G., Walker, A. B., Cameron, P. J., & Docampo, P. (2023). Advanced Materials, 35(32), 2302146. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202302146

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