Dr. Diana Piankova

Diana Piankova received her undergraduate degree in 2019 from the Ural Federal University in Russia. For her diploma thesis, she studied the structural and photocatalytic properties of Bi-doped calcium molybdates under the supervision of Dr. Elena Buyanova and Dr. Zoya Mikhaylovskaya. As a part of her diploma thesis, Diana conducted an internship at the electron microscopy group at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Germany. In 2019, Diana began her Ph.D. at the same institute, specializing further in electron microscopy under the supervision of Dr. Nadezda Tarakina and Prof. Dr. Markus Antonietti. Her Ph.D. research project focused on studying the evolution of the short-range order in materials with different degrees of disorder, using electron pair distribution function (ePDF) analysis and advanced transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging (both ex situ and in situ).

After defending her Ph.D. in February 2023, Diana joined the LESE group in April 2023. Her current research focuses on uncovering the structural dynamics involved in CO2 capture and conversion processes, which she studies using environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) and in situ TEM.