Dr. António T. Vicente has built an interdisciplinary research career focused on sustainable materials and advanced fabrication
techniques for solar energy applications. After earning his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering at NOVA University,
he pursued a Ph.D. through the MIT-Portugal program, pioneering silicon thin-film solar cells on paper-based substrates to
power optoelectronic biodevices. This groundbreaking research, completed at CENIMAT i3N, FCT NOVA in 2017 and awarded two
national honors, was the first to demonstrate solar cells on paper-based materials, advancing sustainable biodevices and establishing
a foundation for Dr. Vicente’s research into innovative energy solutions.
As a Junior Postdoctoral Researcher at CENIMAT i3N, his work involved optimizing nano-structured thin-film perovskite solar
cells (PSCs) in projects like SuperSolar, FlexSolar, and LocalEnergy, and developing optically variable inks (OVIs) for security
applications in the HighLight project. His role as a scientific leader in HighLight involved overseeing OVI development, portable
detector integration, and computational optimization, demonstrating his ability to lead innovative research and technology
transfer with commercialization potential for INCM. The developed work allowed Dr. Vicente to advance his skills in the design
of experiments (DoE), multivariate statistical analysis (MVA), data science (SAS JMP, Python), additive manufacturing, and
photonics (FDTD simulations with Ansys Lumerical). Since 2023, Dr. Vicente has served as an Assistant Researcher at CENIMAT
i3N, following the newly gained responsibilities in co-coordinating two national projects he co-authored (PAPEROVSKITE, ENCOMPASS)
and invitation to be the scientific manager for the team on CENIMAT i3N side in an international project (BURST). Over the
past five years, he has accumulated contributions in co-coordination of 4 projects (HighLight, PAPEROVSKITE, ENCOMPASS, BURST),
has secured funding for two projects (PAPEROVSKITE, ENCOMPASS), and participated in 6 other projects (5 national – SuperSolar,
FlexSolar, LocalEnergy, M-ECO2, and SPACEFLEX – and one European – Jump into space). The funding attracted to his institution
with these projects amounts to ~3.36 M€.
In addition to his technical expertise, Dr. Vicente has competencies in a broad range of fabrication techniques (e.g., PECVD,
CVD, RIE, e-Beam, additive manufacturing), and has utilized advanced characterization methods (e.g., SEM, AFM, XPS, XRD, FTIR,
TGA-DSC, SE, UV-Vis spectroscopy, OES, MS, and EQE) essential to advance his optoelectronics and solar cell research. As a
co-manager of the Nanophotonics Laboratory at i3N/CENIMAT, Dr. Vicente oversees optoelectronic characterization and photovoltaic
prototyping activities, provides technical support, and mentors students and researchers.
With 20+ publications (82% of those featured in Q1 journals), including two scientific book chapters, garnering 1,000+ citations,
and two patent applications, Dr. Vicente has established an impactful research portfolio in the field of renewable energy,
while also demonstrating his commitment to bridging academia and industry through technology transfer and real-world applications.
Dr. Vicente’s contributions to scientific dissemination are further evidenced by his contribution to +30 oral communications
(80% international), including 13 invited talks and one keynote, alongside teaching sustainable energy systems and power electronics
and engaging in outreach to inspire younger audiences about renewable energy, in events like Ciência Viva and ExpoFCT.
With over 10 years in research, Dr. Vicente’s forward-looking approach emphasizes sustainability in R&D through a systems-thinking
framework, as he bridges novel materials and devices for green energy applications and reflects a consistent drive for multidisciplinary
and translational research.