Charusheela Ramanan

Charusheela Ramanan is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, affiliated with the Photo Conversion Materials department and the LaserLaB - Energy research group. Her work focuses on photophysics of organic chromophores and molecular semiconductors for applications in photovoltaics, LEDs, photocatalysis, and solar fuels. She also explores electron-vibrational coupling and time-resolved spectroscopy of photoactivated electronic mechanisms.

She holds a PhD in Chemistry from Northwestern University (2011) and teaches courses like Materials for Light-Energy Conversion (Master’s level) and Science Project Course (SBI Master’s). She has supervised multiple Master’s projects and contributed to research on excitonic materials, charge transfer dynamics, and organic electronics.

Her research spans topics such as copper phthalocyanine thin films, thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials, and light-gated organic transistors. Collaborations include projects like PolyPulse, exploring polymer recycling via light flashes. She has published extensively in journals like Advanced Science, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, and Advanced Optical Materials.

Key contributions include quantifying exciton annihilation effects, studying photoswitchable transistors, and analyzing energy transfer mechanisms in molecular systems. Her work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals related to affordable and clean energy.