Biography
Nicole Bakker is a DPhil student and Clarendon Scholar in the Department of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford, supervised Prof. Lucia Corsini in the Circular Economy and Sustainability Lab.
Previously, Nicole completed her MSc at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2024), where she investigated the material recovery potential and circularity of decommissioned solar photovoltaic (PV) panels.
She was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for her Master in Design Engineering (MDE) at Harvard University (2018), where she developed bio-based building materials from an algae-like industrial by-product. In addition, a group project on a material perforation strategy that uses topology optimization received the Harvard GSD Peter Rice Prize for Excellence in Structural Design.
Nicole published a book on the aesthetic integration of solar PV technology in cultural heritage (2013) during her BSc (with honours) in Structural Engineering (2015) at the Noordelijke Hogeschool Leeuwarden in The Netherlands.
Between studies, she was an entrepreneur and worked on circular economy strategy and implementation for various Dutch government agencies and European companies in the construction industry, manufacturing, aviation, waste treatment, Formula E racing, and renewable fuels infrastructure.
Research
Nicole’s research is part of the UKRI-funded Circular Electrical and Electronics Project and focuses on the role of digital technologies in enabling a circular economy for Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE). She is also part of the ZE-Gen project, where an integrated solar-wind hybrid power system is developed to provide reliable and renewable energy supply to underserved communities in Nigeria.
Research Interests
- Circular economy
- Industry 4.0 and 5.0 digital technologies
- Waste Electricals and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)
- Renewable materials engineering
- Zero carbon energy
- Technology transfer
