Our Funding & Awards
Principal Investigator of the project “Metal-Free Perovskites for Autonomous Power in Medical Technologies” (funding amount: €50,000)
Funding body: Dutch Research Council (NWO), Open Competition Domain Science – XS Research Grant (OCENW.XS22.2.039).
Reference: NWO News – https://www.nwo.nl/en/news/72-grants-for-the-open-competition-domain-science-xs-round-25-3
This project explores a new class of safe, lead-free materials, metal-free perovskites, that can generate electricity from body movements. These materials could power medical devices like pacemakers without the need for conventional batteries, reducing health risks, electronic waste, and replacement costs. We will test whether these materials produce a stable electrical signal under slow, natural movements of the human body. Success would open the door to self-powered wearable and implantable technologies, enabling more sustainable and autonomous healthcare solutions.
Editorial Recognition – Women Scientists at the Forefront of Energy Research (2023)
Institution: ACS Energy Letters
Featured as one of the women researchers at the forefront of energy research (ACS Energy Lett. 2023, 8, 853–868).
Distinguished Women Scientists Fund (2023)
Institution: Dutch Network of Women Professors (LNVH), The Netherlands
Prof. Muscarella receives the Distinguished Women Scientists Fund 2023, a nationally competitive award granted on the basis of the scientific quality and originality of the applicant’s research. The fund (€1,500) supports early-career female researchers working in the Netherlands to strengthen international collaborations and scientific visibility.
Honorable Mention – Christiaan Huygens Science Award (2023)
Institution: Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), The Netherlands
Prof. Muscarella receives the Honorable Mention for the Christiaan Huygens Science Award 2023 which recognises exceptional achievements in science for the PhD thesis “Strain Effects on the Optical Properties of Lead-Halide Perovskites” (University of Groningen, 2022). The award is conferred annually by the national academy (KNAW) to honor outstanding scientific research across disciplines. The jury lauded the work for the innovative range of experimental techniques applied to metal halide perovskites and the demonstration of the importance of stress in this class of materials. The jury was chaired by the eminent Maria Antonietta Loi, professor of photophysics and optoelectronics at the University of Groningen. And included distinguished members Daniel Bonn, professor of complex fluids at the University of Amsterdam, and Kobus Kuipers, professor of nanophotonic structures at Delft University of Technology.
Principal Investigator of the project “Healthy Buildings with Indoor Light – A Smart Perovskite-Based Photocatalyst to Tackle Indoor Pollution” (funding amount: €50,000)
Funding body: Dutch Research Council (NWO), Open Competition Domain Science – XS Research Grant (OCENW.XS22.2.039).
Reference: NWO News – https://www.nwo.nl/en/news/twenty-six-groundbreaking-research-projects-launched-open-competition-domain-science-xs-0
The project aims to improve indoor air quality by developing a smart, lead-free perovskite-based photocatalyst capable of degrading a wide range of indoor pollutants under visible indoor light. As conventional photocatalytic materials are active only under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation—virtually absent indoors—this work introduces a new class of perovskite-based materials engineered for efficient pollutant degradation using ambient light, thus contributing to healthier built environments.