The Hydrogen Innovation Centre has established a doctoral school which is an active community of doctoral students from different fields who are preparing their thesis in the research fields of the Centre. The doctoral school was launched in 2024.
The Hydrogen Innovation Centre Doctoral School has two types of doctoral thesis projects:
Tanja Kallio, Associate Professor, Head of the Hydrogen Innovation Centre Doctoral SchoolThe Hydrogen doctoral school aims to educate doctoral students to be both experts in their field and to gain a holistic view across the entire hydrogen value chain, whilst strongly connecting them to industry".
The Hydrogen Doctoral School organises regularly common activities for the doctoral students and their supervisors, e.g. seminars, workshops and summer schools.
The first get-together event was held at Dipoli in end of January 2025.
Six collaborative doctoral thesis projects have been granted with full or partial funding from The Hydrogen Innovation Centre. Read more from the project descriptions below.
The ECO-H2 project aims to enhance the efficiency of green hydrogen (GH) production by developing a novel power conversion system. The main objective of this project is to address a critical technical challenge hindering Finland's carbon neutrality goals, which include achieving Net Zero Emissions by 2035 and producing at least 10% of the EU's zero-emission hydrogen by 2030. This challenge is particularly associated with the low efficiency of GH production due to multiple energy conversion stages. The proposed conversion system will merge two conversion stages between wind power generation and electrolyzers to reduce conversion losses (Figure 1). By designing a high-performance AC-DC power converter and developing an intelligent predictive control technique, the project aims to improve the efficiency of the entire GH production process.
Doctoral student: Mohammadreza Fazli
Supervising professors: Edris Pouresmaeil, Mika Järvinen
Project started: November 2024
In order to realize targets for CO2 reduction in EU and in Finland, a large number of electrolyzer installations will be needed for the planned hydrogen economies, i.e. to realize the production of green hydrogen in large quantities. Regarding the electrolyzer technology, it will be very important how effectively the H2 production takes place in the planned installations. In the Hilla project, we will study the largely unexplored field of fluid dynamical effects in alkaline water electrolyzers. We will use open-source computational tools to characterize the fluid flow – bubble dynamics on the electrolyzer operation and efficiency. A new 3D CFD model will be built during the Hilla project incorporating models for bubble growth, coalescence, detachement and multiphase flow in the electrolyzer.
Doctoral student: Saeed Ronizi
Supervising professors: Ossi Kaario, Ville Alopaeus
Project started: December 2024
Ammonia is a green hydrogen carrier, and its electrochemical synthesis has shown great potential. Recently, lithium-mediated nitrogen reduction (LiNR) has demonstrated significant promise in ambient-condition electrochemical ammonia synthesis, which, however, has poor stability and efficiency due to unstable lithium deposition & solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) and lack of mechanistic understanding for rational electrode & interphase design. Herein we will precisely engineer the SEI with controlled composition & structure through atomic layer deposition (ALD) and investigate in detail the electrochemical and structural dynamics of SEI during LiNR operation. The results will facilitate the fundamental understanding of the role of
SEI and be used to optimize the electrode & interphase design for efficient LiNR toward commercial relevance.
Doctoral Student: Haoxuan You
Supervising professors: Yaolin Xu, Ville Miikkulainen
Project started: January 2025
RESONATE futures responsible material flows in the hydrogen generation sector. We will introduce material and energy efficient electrocatalyst and electrode structures for hydrogen generation in low-temperature electrolyzers alongside with revolutionary direct recycling of the aged electrodes. Our electrodes enable notable reduction of scarce metal utilization and lifetime without sacrificing the performance. Our innovative recyling process enables reducing the circular environmetal footprint by reducing chemicals and energy used for recovery while improving the share of the recovered matter. Hence, RESONATE will deepen fundamental understanding in electrocatalysis while generaging novel recycling processes.
Doctoral Student: Cedric Schiwek
Supervising professors: Tanja Kallio, Mari Lundström
Project started: July 2025
HYXYL proposes a novel approach to green H2 production by coupling it with biomass side-stream valorization via co-electrolysis. Hemicelluloses like xylans, found in pulping industry side-streams, make up to 25% of lignocellulosic biomass but are challenging to valorize due to their heterogeneous nature. Yet, discarding them is unsustainable. By using the oxidation of xylan-rich streams as the anodic reaction in an electrolyzer, we aim to reduce the energy required for H2 production while co-generating other valuable chemicals such as xylose and xylonic acid. We will design tailored electrocatalysts and gain fundamental insights into xylan electro-oxidation, enabling a proof-of-concept lab-scale co-electrolyzer. HYXYL combines expertise in electrocatalysis, materials science, and lignocellulose chemistry to address a key challenge in green H2 production.
Doctoral student: N.N.
Supervising professors: Daniel Martin Yerga, Tiina Nypelö
Project will start soon.
This research focuses on the flexible operation of PEM electrolyzers for green hydrogen production and its use as a raw material in chemical industries. It addresses challenges related to efficiency losses and degradation under dynamic power supply conditions from renewable energy sources. The project combines experimental work on a PEM electrolyzer stack with process modeling and sustainability analysis to identify optimal operational strategies. By integrating laboratory data with techno-economic and environmental assessments, this research aims to enhance the performance and scalability of hydrogen systems. The results will support large-scale, industry-integrated hydrogen production and contribute to Finland’s long-term goals for climate-neutral industry and energy systems.
Doctoral student: N.N.
Supervising professors: Annukka Santasalo-Aarnio, Rodrigo Serna Guerrero
Project will start soon.
The research activities in the context of this doctoral thesis are planned with the view of developing a comprehensive multi-scale energy analysis approach, essential to track the impacts of the characteristics in different scales of the investigated processes, namely catalytic hydrogenation of carbon oxides for producing oxygenates, on their overall energy efficiency. The targeted oxygenates are methanol, dimethyl ether and oxymethylene ethers (OMEs) to be produced as green energy carriers, considering the original sources of carbon and hydrogen. The performed energy-analysis will reflect the energy-values of hydrogen and carbon oxides as reactants, and the energy spent for converting them. The energy-efficiency and economic prospects of producing OMEs for partially replacing fossil-based diesel and gasoline are also taken into analysis.
Doctoral student: N.N.
Supervising professors: Hamid Reza Godini, Riikka Puurunen
Project will start soon.
Green hydrogen is vital for hard-to-electrify sectors, with electrolysers enabling its production from renewable electricity. We will investigate current-source converters as grid-connected power supplies for electrolysers. Unlike conventional solutions, current-source converters enable controllable single-stage power conversion, reducing system cost and complexity while providing excellent power quality on both AC and DC sides. To optimize the system, we will develop an advanced dynamic electrolyser model, parametrized using a comprehensive multiphysics model. The models and controls will be made available through our open-source simulation platform. A tool for optimising passive components for a given switching frequency will also be developed. Simulation results will be validated using a low-power prototype. This project will ultimately enhance the system efficiency and reduce costs of green hydrogen production.
Doctoral student: Ushnish Chowdhury
Supervising professors: Marko Hinkkanen, Pekka Peljo
Project started in August 2025.
High-speed hydrogen pumps currently rely on separate bearings and seals, often requiring fluid lubrication (gas or oil) that risks contaminating hydrogen. This project will develop gas bearings that double as seals, using hydrogen gas itself as the lubricant and sealing medium. The innovative design employs hybrid operation: at low rotor speeds, an externally pressurized hydrogen film supports the shaft (aerostatic mode), while at high speeds the bearing acts dynamically (aerodynamic mode). By integrating bearing and seal functions, we aim to reduce component count, complexity, maintenance needs, utilizing only the process gas and minimal quantity of ambient air. The expected outcome is a compact rotor support system with integrated sealing and bearing functions for centrifugal hydrogen pumps, improving reliability and safety in hydrogen transportation infrastructure.
Doctoral student: N.N.
Supervising professors: Raine Viitala, Anouar Belahcen
Project will start soon.
The development of a hydrogen economy affects numerous sectors. For example, hydrogen-based e-fuels are seen as key energy carriers for the transport sector, industry’s use of hydrogen may increase significantly, and storage of hydrogen can be used to balance the electricity system. Furthermore, hydrogen may become the largest electricity consumer in Finland, having significant implications on grid development. Consequently, it is important to study the co-evolution of hydrogen system, together with electricity transmission and energy system. In this project, models are used to investigate how these systems may co-evolve and affect the direction and shape of the transition to hydrogen. A co-simulation platform of energy, hydrogen and electricity transmission system is developed, and used to investigate their co-evolution.
Doctoral student: Sami Tarvainen
Supervising professors: Ilkka Keppo, Janne Seppänen
Project started July 2025
If you are interested to collaborate with Aalto and have a research need or an idea that may be suitable for a doctoral thesis at the Hydrogen Innovation Centre, please contact us directly or leave a contact request ºÚÁÏÍø Corporate Relations using the form below.
The doctoral school organizes networking and knowledge sharing events for doctoral students.
Hydrogen Breakfast series is the main event series of Aalto University H2 Innovation Center. The series brings together speakers from Aalto Academics & Industry to discuss current topics that move us towards a sustainable and innovative hydrogen economy.
