Rate My Professor Louise Hirst

Professor Louise Hirst is Professor of Materials Physics at the University of Cambridge, jointly appointed in the Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics, and the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy. She obtained her BSc, MSc, and PhD from Imperial College London, completing her PhD in 2013. Following her doctoral studies, she held positions as National Academies Research Associate, Karles Fellow, and Staff Scientist in the Optoelectronics and Radiation Effects Branch at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. In 2018, she established the Space Photovoltaics research group at the University of Cambridge, bridging the Department of Physics and the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy.

Louise Hirst's research focuses on advanced, high-efficiency III-V photovoltaics for next-generation space power applications, including satellite networks, space exploration, and space-based solar power. Her specializations include ultra-thin III-V photovoltaics for increased power-to-weight ratios, flexibility, and intrinsic radiation tolerance; novel III-V multi-species alloys characterized using temperature- and power-dependent photoluminescence, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and computational tools; and III-V quantum well structures for hot-carrier solar cells targeting efficiencies up to 85% through restricted carrier-phonon interactions. Her group also develops single-photon avalanche diodes for quantum technologies such as LiDAR. As principal investigator, she leads major funded programs: the ERC Starting Grant “Gliding epitaxy for inorganic space-power sheets” (853365), BEIS NZIP “Concentrator solar cells to deliver space based solar power” (SBSP1003), and Royal Society “Radiation induced defects in space photovoltaic systems” (IEC\R3\193005). Key publications encompass “Imaging atomic scale clustering in III-V semiconductor alloys” (ACS Nano, 2017), “Intrinsic radiation tolerance of ultra-thin GaAs solar cells” (Applied Physics Letters 109, 033908, 2016), “Experimental demonstration of hot-carrier photo-current in an InGaAs quantum well solar cell” (Applied Physics Letters 104, 231115, 2014), “Radiation-resilient ultra-thin GaAs solar cells on glass transferred by anodic bonding” (Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 2025), and “Advanced Solar Cells with Thermal, Radiation, and Light Management for Space-Based Solar Power” (Solar RRL, 2025). Her contributions advance radiation-hardened, lightweight photovoltaics vital for modern space missions.