Prof. Dr. Maitane Berecibar

Prof. Dr. Ir. Maitane Berecibar obtained her PhD in Engineering Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in August 2017, with a dissertation titled “Development of an Accurate State of Health Estimation Technique for Lithium-Ion Batteries.” Her doctoral work was carried out in collaboration with the Technology Research Centre IKERLAN in Spain and the MOBI research centre at VUB. During her studies, she was a visiting researcher at several international institutions, including the New Jersey Institute of Technology (USA) and the Brno University of Technology (Czech Republic), where she contributed to projects such as “Estimating Storage Requirements for Wind Power Plants” and “Quality of Service of Free Space Optical Links.”

Since 2019, Prof. Berecibar has served as Head of the Battery Innovation Center within the MOBI research group at VUB. She leads the centre’s R&D strategy in advanced battery technologies, covering emerging chemistries (Gen3, Gen4 and beyond), battery protptyping, self-healing materials, sensor integration, multi-domain modelling (electrochemical, thermal, electrical, lifetime), smart state estimation (SoX), cooling system development, management strategies, recycling, second life, and safety. In this role, she focuses on building strong research consortia, managing high-impact innovation projects, and ensuring the scientific quality and strategic direction of the group’s activities.

Her scientific excellence has been recognized internationally: she has been named a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher, placing her among the top 1% most influential scientists worldwide in her field. In addition, she has been awarded the Franqui Chair, one of Belgium’s most distinguished academic honors, acknowledging her outstanding contributions to scientific research and leadership. She also received a prestigious FWO Senior Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Prof. Berecibar is an active member of the IEC standardization committees TC‑69 and TC‑21, contributing to international standards on batteries. She serves as a scientific reviewer for major conferences (EVS, VPPC, Batteries2030+ Conference, etc.) and high-impact journals (Nature Communications, Applied Energy, Journal of Power Sources, etc.). She has also participated as jury member for multiple PhD defences at VUB and other international universities.