Placement Information
Year you started your placement
2016
Placement period
May – August, September – December
Supervisor’s name
Robin Wanke
Project Details
Overview
I am a member of the thermoelectronics team at the Max Planck Solid State Research Institute in Stuttgart, Germany. My team focusses on pushing the efficiencies of thermal energy to electrical energy conversion, so that one day this technology can be viable for efficiently generating useful energy from heat sources and recovering waste heat energy from exisiting processes. The challenges in this field of research are centered around engineering novel materials with applicable electronic properties, and the actual engineering challenge of designing thermoelectronic conversion apparatuses that can withstand very high temperatures and very low vaccuum pressures.
Project objectives
Given the challenge of heating special materials to very hot temperatures, my research is to investigate stable ways to accomplish this using specially desgined filaments. My work revolves around brainstorming new apparatus designs, implementing them, and performing experiments to determine how effective they are in heating low work-function materials to very high temperatures for long periods of time. The objective of my project is to find an optimal heating design that can be used by researchers in this field to improve the efficacy of thermoelectronic power conversion.
Research outcomes
Project status
Completed
Expected completion date
12/22/2016
alexkyriazis-2016-presentation
My Co-op Experience at MPI
Why did you apply for a placement with Max Planck Institute?
The Max Planck Institute is a very respectable research institution in the global setting. I was very interested in experiencing what work at a research institution would actually be like, since I consider academia as a possible career route. In addition, being able to gain international work experience is an opportunity that is invaluable.
What recommendations do you have for students who wish to participate in MPI-UBC exchange program?
I recommend that students should carefully think about what specific skills they want to take from this experience, and make sure they guide their work in such a way that they gain these skills. It is essential that a student clearly communicates his/her co-op goals with his/her supervisor so that they can work together to make sure these goals are met.
Tell us about your travels and cultural experiences in Germany and the rest of the Europe
Our group of Canadian students have been travelling a lot- almost every weekend! Our travelling experience has been very diverse and culturally enriching. So far (as of 3 months in) we’ve been to several cities in Italy, Switzerland, France, Hungary, Netherlands and many destinations in Germany. In my time in Stuttgart, I have been trying to absorb as much German culture as possible during my time here. I’ve joined several German speaking clubs/groups to try to pick up the language. I recommend any other person doing an MPI exchange to do the same!
