Giovanna Sozzi is Associate Professor of Electronics at the Department of Engineering and Architecture of the University of Parma, Italy, scientific disciplinary field IINF-01/A – Electronics. In 2021, she obtained the Italian National Scientific Qualification (Abilitazione Scientifica Nazionale) for the position of Full Professor in the disciplinary field 09/E3 – Electronics.
Since 2018, she has been responsible at degree-programme level for student recruitment, outreach and academic tutoring for the Master’s Degree in Electronic Engineering and the Bachelor’s Degree in Computer, Electronic and Telecommunications Engineering. Since 2018, she has also served as academic coordinator for PCTO activities (school–work-based learning programmes) for the Master’s Degree in Electronic Engineering. Since 2024, she has held the role of Departmental Delegate for Student Recruitment and Outreach and Departmental Delegate for Equal Opportunities and Inclusion at the Department of Engineering and Architecture.
She received the Laurea degree in Electronic Engineering (summa cum laude) in 1997 from the University of Parma. In 1998, she gained industrial experience at FIAT S.p.A. (Turin). From 1998 to 2001, she attended the PhD programme in Information Technologies (XIV cycle) at the University of Parma. Between 1999 and 2000, she collaborated with Procter & Gamble Italia S.p.A., Nelsen plant (Gattatico, Italy). In 2001, she collaborated with INFM – Parma Research Unit on the development of process techniques for test structures on III–V compound semiconductors and, in the same year, she was awarded a CNR-MADESS II research fellowship on the reliability of compound semiconductor electronic devices, carried out at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. She obtained the PhD degree in January 2002, defending a thesis on heterojunction devices based on compound semiconductors. In September 2002, she joined the University of Parma as Assistant Professor, where she is currently Associate Professor.
Since the academic year 2002/2003, she has carried out continuous teaching activity at the University of Parma, initially within the University Master’s Programme in Electronic Technologies for Industrial Innovation and subsequently in Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree programmes in the field of Information Engineering. She currently teaches Fundamentals and Laboratory of Digital Electronics in the first year of the Bachelor’s Degree in Computer, Electronic and Telecommunications Engineering, and Electronics for Renewable Energies in the last year of the Master’s Degree in Electronic Engineering.
Her research activity focuses on the modelling, numerical simulation and characterization of semiconductor devices, with reference to different technologies and materials. Her main research interests include thin-film and III–V solar cells, analysed through one-, two- and three-dimensional modelling to gain insight into device operation, guide the development of new device architectures and support the interpretation of experimental characterization techniques. Further research topics include wide band-gap devices based on silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃) for applications in renewable energy systems and power electronics, as well as the study of solar-blind UV-C sensors based on Ga₂O₃ for advanced sensing applications.
More recently, her research has expanded to the experimental characterization and modelling of electrochemical energy storage systems (batteries), with particular emphasis on the development of predictive models for performance and lifetime estimation. Her research activities also include device design, electro-thermal modelling, and electrical lifetime measurements using the OCVD (Open Circuit Voltage Decay) technique. Multi-physics numerical simulations (TCAD) are integrated with machine learning and data-driven modelling techniques for experimental data analysis, the extraction of physically meaningful correlations and the optimization of device models.
In the field of solar cell research, she is the Principal Investigator of the project EMPOWER – Enhanced Modeling for Performance Optimization of Sb₂Se₃-based Solar Cells (2024–2026). She is also Head of the University of Parma Research Unit and Vice Principal Investigator of the PRIN 2022 project “LEGACY – Healing wide-gap chalcopyrite” (2023–2025), funded under the PNRR – Mission 4 “Education and Research”. Previously, she was Coordinator of the University of Parma research unit within the European HORIZON 2020 project “SHARC25”, aimed at achieving very high efficiencies in Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ solar cells, and Principal Investigator of the Fondazione Cariparma project Study and optimization of innovative low-cost solar cells for the mass market (2010).
She is an IEEE Senior Member and serves as Associate Editor of the journal Power Electronic Devices and Components (Elsevier). She also acts as a reviewer for international scientific journals, including Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics, IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices and Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications, and is the author of numerous scientific publications in international journals and conference proceedings.
