Women at Work · Science and innovation
Derya Baran is an associate professor at KAUST and leads the Organic and Hybrid Materials for Energy Applications Lab. Her research develops semiconductor materials for energy capture, including applications in films, coatings and other functional surfaces.
The work behind the profile
Her official biography also records her role as co-founder of iyris, a climate technology business developing materials and additives intended to reduce resource use in agriculture. Her academic experience includes research in Germany and at Imperial College London.
Her profile connects scientific discovery, mentoring and entrepreneurship. It illustrates a career in Saudi Arabia’s research environment where expertise can move between a laboratory and a commercial problem. The emphasis is on the work required to translate a useful material property into an application with practical value.
Source: KAUST · official page. Checked 16 October 2026. Image credit: KAUST.
Editorial profile based on publicly available sources.
