Deniz Yildiz

I received a Chemical Engineering at Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey.  I have gotten into energy sphere during my master's at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in the United States while specializing in the modeling of high-energy materials. After my master's degree, I worked as a graduate researcher with applications of DFT (Density Functional Theory) to electrocatalysts at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, USA. During that work I developed my interest in electrochemistry and electrochemical energy technologies. Now I am a PhD student at the Department of Applied Electrochemistry at KTH. In the department, I work with fuel cells.

In order to be able to quickly reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, we first need to capture and convert the carbon dioxide that has been released from existing emission sources, before we can completely remove these. I work in this interface between aggressive transitions to sustainable energy technologies and reduction of the impacts of non-sustainable activities. The type of fuel cell I am working on is called a molten carbonate fuel cell. This type of fuel cell can capture and convert carbon dioxide while producing emission-free energy. This fuel cell's ability to capture and convert carbon dioxide while producing energy comes from its unique carbonate chemistry. The cell takes unconcentrated carbon dioxide from one side, converts it to carbonate, moves the carbonate to the other side and converts it back to carbon dioxide where the carbon dioxide becomes concentrated. The cell can provide uniquely high levels of carbon dioxide concentration on the exhaust side.  This makes the technology very attractive for industrial applications where it is too expensive to completely remove the point emissions or where the industrial partner is too slow to switch to low-emission processes. This technology can help us convince the big players to reduce their emissions cost-effectively. If you want to learn more about this feel free to check out my Research Pitch @ KTH Energy Dialogue 2020.

I am also interested in leadership and governance. I was formerly a board member and the Events Manager at the PhD Chapter of KTH; as well as, a member of the women doctoral students committee (WOP@KTH) and Academical Reference Group for Sustainable Development at KTH. In my spare time, I like to read, exercise, and travel. I like living in new countries and getting to know new cultures. I like a good cultural jet lag.