Michael Saliba


Michael Saliba is a German physicist and materials scientist. He is a professor at the University of Stuttgart, where he directs the Institute for Photovoltaics. He is also affiliated at the Forschungszentrum Jülich as part of the Helmholtz Association.
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Early life and education

Saliba studied mathematics and physics at the University of Stuttgart, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. He obtained a Master of Science in physics with the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research. During his undergraduate, he also attended the University of Adelaide, Australia. He undertook his Doctor of Philosophy in Condensed Matter Physics at St Catherine's College, University of Oxford. His doctoral thesis with Henry Snaith, was titled Plasmonic Nanostructures and Film Crystallization in Perovskite Solar Cells. During his doctoral work, he also conducted research at Cornell Universit with Ulrich Wiesner.

Career

Following his doctorate, Saliba was awarded a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship, which he conducted at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne at the labs of Anders Hagfeldt and Michael Grätzel. He was subsequently a visiting researcher at Stanford University with Mike McGehee. In 2018, he became a group leader at the University of Fribourg with Ullrich Steiner, and in 2019, he was appointed professor at the Technical University of Darmstadt. In 2020, he assumed his current role as professor and director of the Institute for Photovoltaics at the University of Stuttgart. He is also affiliated with the Forschungszentrum Jülich.

Research

Saliba's research focuses on optoelectronic materials, particularly metal-halide perovskite semiconductors. His main contribution is the development of a combinatorial approach for formulating new multicomponent materials, a strategy now widely adopted in the field. This approach enables the systematic design and optimization of perovskites with improved properties and enhanced stability. The resulting materials have broad applicability across various devices, including single-junction and tandem solar cells, photodetectors, and light-emitting diodes. He has also contributed to the development of optoelectronic devices such as light emitters, photodetectors, and scintillators. Saliba has also contributed on plasmonic nanostructures and photonic materials.

Publications

As of 2025, Saliba has authored nearly 200 scientific publications in areas including perovskite optoelectronics, photovoltaics, and plasmonics. He holds several patents related to optoelectronic materials.

Awards and recognition

Professional service

Saliba was a Co-Chair of the Global Young Academy and a Board Member the Young Academy of Germany. He serves on the editorial boards of journals including ACS Energy Letters and Materials Today. He is the founding Editor-in-Chief of EES Solar.