Skip to content

“Research chef” refines the recipe for semiconductors

Vanya Darakchieva and Andri Dhora work on the PLD apparatus. Photo: Jenny Leyman
Vanya Darakchieva and Andri Dhora work on the PLD apparatus. Photo: Jenny Leyman

What is the perfect recipe for semiconductors? Vanya Darakchieva is working on the answer in her research on novel semiconductor materials. As a professor of solid state physics at the Faculty of Engineering (LTH), she is a “research chef” designing the future cookbook for sustainable and safe electronics.

Understanding and explaining the mysteries of nature was Vanya Darakchieva’s dream during her childhood in Bulgaria. At the time, she was mostly interested in astronomy and chemistry. As a teenager, she was a member of an association called “Young Scientists.”

“We met every day after school in a laboratory where we could experiment and discuss science,” says Vanya Darakchieva.

She was also active in her hometown observatory, and in the ninth grade, she was selected to represent Bulgaria in an astronomy competition for young scientists in Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia).

Highlights and events

Ove Öhman has been a bridge-builder between academia and the business sector for several decades and has helped strengthen Uppsala’s innovation environment. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt, Uppsala University
2026 03 10
Myfab Uppsala

Ove Öhman receives prize as a bridge-builder between research and innovation

Read more
A research team at Chalmers University of Technology has developed a new diminutive laser technology that makes it possible to create a miniature biosensor with the laser source and optics integrated onto a one-centimetre semiconductor chip. This enables significantly smaller sensors, paving the way for portable optical technology and for moving certain types of medical sampling from hospitals to the patients’ homes. Illustration: Chalmers/Erik Strandberg
2026 03 10
Myfab Chalmers

Miniature laser technology could bring lab testing into your home

Read more
Event a university house - Ångström Laboratory - Myfab Uppsala
2026 02 25
Myfab Chalmers , Myfab , Myfab KTH , Myfab Lund , Myfab Uppsala

Register latest March 15: NNTN & NNUM in Uppsala

Read more
2026 02 24
Myfab KTH

KISAB speeds development of key clean‑energy materials with Myfab KTH’s support

Read more
See all highlights