Visiting Graduate StudentNiko joined the Bazant Group in September 2026 as a DAAD-funded visiting Ph.D. student. He is pursuing his doctorate at Saarland University and the INM–Leibniz Institute for New Materials under Prof. Volker Presser, as part of an industrial Ph.D. collaboration with Porsche AG. He holds an M.Sc. in Advanced Materials and Manufacturing from Aalen University, where he studied sulfide-based solid-state batteries.
His research combines physics-based modeling and experiments to understand voltage hysteresis and phase transformations in silicon anodes. At MIT, he is developing a comprehensive silicon electrode model accounting for thermodynamics, volume expansion, crystallization, and open-circuit potential changes, with potential applications in battery state estimation.
Outside research, Niko is a passionate Greco-Roman wrestler and enjoys cycling with friends, cooking, and playing the piano.