Prof. Dirk Poelman

Dirk Poelman studied physics and obtained his Ph.D. on rare-earth-doped sulfide electroluminescent thin films at Ghent University (Belgium). Since 2001, he has had a permanent appointment at Ghent University, where he is leading the research group Lumilab. He has been a full professor since 2012. Dirk Poelman has experience in different fields of solid-state physics research, including thin-film deposition and optical characterization; photo-, electro- and cathodoluminescent and photochromic materials; structural and electrical defects in semiconductors; photocatalysis for air purification; X-ray analytical techniques; and human vision. His current research is focused on inorganic phosphors for white LEDs and displays and persistent luminescent materials for safety illumination and medical imaging. He has (co)organized numerous conferences, such as EL2002 (Int. Conf. on Electroluminescence), ICTF14 (Int. Conf. on Thin Films) and "Phosphoros", the first international conference on persistent luminescence in 2011, and he chaired the ICOOPMA conference in Ghent in 2022. He is a member (and former president) of the Belgian National Committee for Crystallography and holds several administrative functions at the university. He has been the editor of the Journal of Luminescence and is the academic editor of MDPI journals Materials, Photochem and Radiation. In addition, he lectures numerous courses at the Bachelor's and Master's levels.