Mukundan Thelakkat Appointed as WISE Visiting Professor in Sweden

From October 2025, Thelakkat will spend around two to three months per year teaching and researching in Gothenburg and at other Swedish universities. The visiting professorship is initially planned for two years.

Thelakkat’s research focuses on the design and synthesis of semiconductor polymers, charge separation and transport, as well as the fabrication and characterisation of various devices such as solar cells, thermoelectric generators, and biosensors. “Chalmers University of Technology has a strong faculty in materials research. During my visiting professorship, I aim to explore and further develop polymer and hybrid thermoelectrics using sustainable and carbon-rich materials, in collaboration with colleagues from the Department of Materials Science, some of whom I already know through our research on related topics in thermoelectrics and bioelectronics,” says Thelakkat. Hybrid thermoelectrics involve converting waste heat into electricity. In addition, he is eager to explore new approaches in Gothenburg, such as using paper instead of glass as a functional substrate for devices. “Typically, components like solar cells, thermoelectric generators, or biosensors are manufactured on rigid glass substrates. However, some unconventional applications—such as those on textiles or curved surfaces—require conductive or transparent flexible substrates. Swedish research centres have the expertise to provide paper-based substrates for such applications, opening up entirely new research possibilities for me,” Thelakkat explains.