Juliana Jaramillo Fernández
(Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech)
Juliana Jaramillo Fernández is a physical engineer holding a PhD in Physics and Energetics from CentraleSupélec, France. She has pursued her scientific career across Colombia, France, Sweden, and Spain, working at institutions such as the KTH Royal Institute of Technology and the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.
Currently, she is a lecturer and researcher at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, where she develops sustainable thermal management solutions based on photonics and thermal nanoscience. Her research focuses particularly on passive radiative cooling and its integration into energy applications, such as cooling technologies, photovoltaic systems, and hydrogen production.
She has authored 23 scientific publications and led national and European research projects aimed at developing new thermal management technologies. In 2020, she co-founded Cooling Photonics, a company stemming from her research, where she serves as Chief Scientific Officer and works on transforming laboratory developed photonic materials into passive cooling solutions for industrial applications. She is also the inventor of several patents and continues to drive the technology transfer process through university-industry collaborations.
Keynote: «When Photonics Meets The Energy Transition»
How can material design help us better harness solar energy or manage heat without consuming electricity? Photonics offers tools to control the absorption, reflection, and emission of radiation. This capability enables the development of surfaces with specific functions that contribute to more efficient energy use and the advancement of renewable technologies.
Through simple examples, this talk will explore how anti-reflective coatings increase light capture in photovoltaic panels and how radiative cooling can reduce air conditioning needs or improve thermal management and performance in photovoltaic and thermoelectric systems. We will also trace the journey from the laboratory design of these materials to their integration into real world applications, highlighting the potential of photonics to develop more efficient and sustainable energy solutions.