Christophe BallifChristophe Ballif is director of the Phototovoltaics and Thin Film Electronics Laboratoryb) (PV-Lab at the institute of microengineering (IMT) in Neuchâtel (part of the EPFL since 2009). The lab focus is on the science and technology of high efficiency heterojunction crystalline cells,so-called passivating contacts for solar cells, multi-junction solar cells include novel generation Perovskite on innovative optical high speed detector and on various macroelectronics application. It also deals with energy management with a focus on integration of solar electricity into the energy system. The PV-Lab has strongly contributed to technology transfer and industrialization of novel devices and full technology with numerous companies. Christophe Ballif graduated as a physicist from the EPFL in 1994, where he also obtained in 1998 his Phd degree working on novel PV materials. He accomplished his postdoctoral research at NREL (Golden, US) on compound semiconductor solar cells (CIGS and CdTe). He worked then at the Fraunhofer ISE (Ge) on crystalline silicon photovoltaics (monocrystalline and multi-crystalline) until 2003 and then at the EMPA in Thun (CH) before becoming full professor at the University of Neuchâtel IMT in 2004, taking over the chair of Prof. A. Shah. Since 2013, C.Ballif is also the director of the new CSEM PV-Center, also located in Neuchâtel. The CSEM PV-Center is focussing more on industrialisation and technology transfer in the field of solar energy, including solar electricity management and storage. At the core of the CSEM PV-center activities lies several "pilot lines" for various kinds of solar cells manufacturing, with a focus coating technologies, wet chemistry processes for crystalline silicon, metalisation techniques for solar cells, and a platform for developing "ideal packaging solutions and polymers" for PV modules. In addition, joined facitilites between CSEM and EPFL of over 800 m2 are available for modules manufacturing, measuring and accelerated aging. CSEM PV-center has also full team dedicated to storage and energy systems and operates a joined center with BFH in Biel for research on electrochemical storage. He (co-) authored over 500 journal and technical papers, as well as several patents. He is an elected member of the SATW, member of the scientific council of the Swiss AEE, and member of the board of the EPFL Energy center. In 2016, he recieved the Becquerel prize for his contributions to the field of high efficiency photovoltaics.
Luc ThévenazLuc Thévenaz received in 1982 the M.Sc. degree in astrophysics from the Observatory of Geneva, Switzerland, and in 1988 the Ph.D. degree in physics from the University of Geneva, Switzerland. He developed at this moment his field of expertise, i.e. fibre optics. In 1988 he joined the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Lausanne (EPFL) where he currently leads a research group involved in photonics, namely fibre optics and optical sensing. Research topics include Brillouin-scattering fibre sensors, nonlinear fibre optics, slow & fast light and laser spectroscopy in gases. His main achievements are: - the invention of a novel configuration for distributed Brillouin fibre sensing based on a single laser source, resulting in a high intrinsic stability making for the first time field measurements possible, - the development of a photoacoustic gas trace sensor using a near infra-red semiconductor laser, detecting a gas concentration at the ppb level, - the first experimental demonstration of optically-controlled slow & fast light in optical fibres, realized at ambient temperature and operating at any wavelength since based on stimulated Brillouin scattering. The first negative group velocity of light was also realized in optical fibres using this approach. In 1991, he visited the PUC University in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where he worked on the generation of picosecond pulses in semiconductor lasers. In 1991-1992 he stayed at Stanford University, USA, where he participated in the development of a Brillouin laser gyroscope. He joined in 1998 the company Orbisphere Laboratories SA in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, as Expert Scientist to develop gas trace sensors based on photoacoustic laser spectroscopy. In 1998 and 1999 he visited the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Daejon, South Korea, where he worked on fibre laser current sensors. In 2000 he co-founded the spin-off company Omnisens that is developing and commercializing advanced photonic instrumentation. In 2007 he visited Tel Aviv University where he studied the all-optical control of polarization in optical fibres. During winter 2010 he stayed at the University of Sydney where he studied applications of stimulated Brillouin scattering in chalcogenide waveguides. In 2014 he stayed at the Polytechnic University of Valencia where he worked on microwave applications of stimulated Brillouin scattering. He was member of the Consortium in the FP7 European Project GOSPEL "Governing the speed of light", was Chairman of the European COST Action 299 "FIDES: Optical Fibres for New Challenges Facing the Information Society" and is author or co-author of some 480 publications and 12 patents. He is now Coordinator of the H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks FINESSE (FIbre NErve Systems for Sensing). He is co-Executive Editor-in-Chief of the journal "Nature Light: Science & Applications" and is Member of the Editorial Board (Associate Editor) for the journal "APL Photonics" & "Laser & Photonics Reviews". He is also Fellow of both the IEEE and the Optical Society (OSA).
Fabien Sorin Sep 2002-Oct 2007
Ph.D., Department of Materials Science and Engineering, MIT, USA.
Supervisor: Prof. Yoel Fink; Thesis: Multi-material, Multifunctional Fiber Devices.
After graduating with an engineering degree and a Master of Science in Physics from the Ecole Polytechnique in Palaiseau, France, Prof. Sorin joined the department of Materials Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, USA for his graduate studies. He worked as a research assistant in the Photonic Bandgap Fibers and Devices Group of Professor Yoel Fink and graduated with a PhD in 2008. His PhD thesis led to the development of a new class of fiber material and devices and he was a pioneer of the field of multi-material fibers.
Mar 2008-Oct 2010
Postdoctoral Associate and Research Scientist, Research Laboratory of Electronics, MIT.
He then joined the Research Laboratory of Electronics at MIT as a Postdoctoral Associate, and continued as a Research Scientist associate, where he conducted independent research in the emerging field of multi-material fibers and was involved and led a variety of projects in fundamental research as well as in collaborations with local start-ups.
Apr 2011 Feb 2013
Research Engineer, Saint-Gobain Recherche, Aubervilliers, France.
Surface du Verre et interface Group
In 2011, prof. Sorin returned to Europe and joined the company Saint-Gobain in the Saint-Gobain Recherche center, its biggest research center located near Paris in France. As a research engineer, he developed a new research thrust investigating new photonic materials and nanostructures for the energy and building industries. In particular, he and colleagues developed innovative processing approaches to deploy photonic nanostructures for light management over large area substrates, for applications in energy harvesting and saving, and for building materials and windows.
Mar 2013 Present
Assistant Professor tenure-track, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland.
Head of the Photonic materials and fibre devices laboratory (FIMAP)
Since March 2013, he is in the department of Materials Science (IMX) at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) as an assistant professor tenure-track. He is starting a research group on photonic materials and fiber devices (FIMAP), continuing on developing innovative materials processing approaches and photonic device architectures to develop new solutions in energy harvesting, saving and storage, in sensing and monitoring, health care and smart fabrics.
Esther AmstadEsther Amstad studied material science at ETH in Zurich. She also carried out her PhD thesis at the same University under the supervision of Prof. Marcus Textor; for her thesis, she worked on the surface modification and steric stabilization of oxide nanoparticles. As a postdoctoral fellow, she joined the experimental condensed soft matter group of David A. Weitz at Harvard University where she used droplet based microfluidics to assemble different types of functional micro- and nanomaterials. In addition, she developped new microfluidic devices that enable the production of very small, airborne drops as well as devices that produce highly monodisperse emulsion drops at a very high throughput. In June 2014, Esther joined the material science department (IMX) of EPFL where she is leading the Soft Materials Laboratory (SMAL).
Xile HuXile Hu was born in 1978 in Putian, southeastern China. He entered the Peking University in Beijing in 1996. Besides learning too little chemistry, his biggest regret in the college was not able to correct his southern accent in Mandarin. After graduated from PKU, he went to the United States and began his doctoral studies at the University of California, San Diego. In December 2004, he finished with a Ph.D. in chemistry and some fond memories of the beautiful city of San Diego. He then moved to the Los Angeles area and become a postdoctoral scholar at the California Institute of Technology. There he enjoyed numerous stimulating scientific (and other) discussions with friends and colleagues. He also made plenty of friends outside the campus and was a frequent in many local Chinese restaurants. In 2007, after two pleasant visits to Switzerland, he decided to move across the continent one more time and join the faculty of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). He now directs the Laboratory of Inorganic Synthesis and Catalysis and is interested in developing chemistry for synthesis, energy and sustainability.
Zhaofu Fei1999, Phd in Chemistry, Braunschweig, Germany,
2002, Lausanne, EPFL, Scientist.
Heinrich HofmannOriginaire de Mellingen (AG), Heinrich Hofmann est né en 1953. Après des études d'ingénieur en soudures (Ing. grad.) à Duisburg (D), et d'ingénieur en science des matériaux à la Technische Hochschule de Berlin, il obtient le titre de docteur ingénieur en 1983 pour une thèse dans le domaine des matériaux.De 1983 à 1985, il travaille comme assistant scientifique au Laboratoire de Technologie des Poudres de l'Institut Max Planck pour la science des matériaux à Stuttgart. En 1985 il entre au Centre de Recherche et Développement d'Alusuisse-Lonza à Neuhausen-am-Rheinfall, en tant qu'ingénieur consacré à la recherche dans l'étude et le développement des procédés de synthèse des poudres céramiques.En 1993 il entre à l'EPFL en tant que professeur extraordinaire et directeur du Laboratoire de technologie des poudres du Départmeent des matériaux. Son enseignement porte sur les céramiques I (procédés) et les phénomènes de transfert. Son domaine de recherche couvre la synthèse des poudres minérales, leur caractérisation et la modification des surfaces, ainsi que la mise en forme et le frittage. Ses recherches incluent aussi les matériaux nanostructurés (composites semi-conducteurs et polymères) et la métallurgie des poudres. Hofmann Heinrich, Prof. Dr.-Ing. got his PhD in Material Science with a thesis prepared at the Powder Metallurgy Laboratory at the Max Planck Institute in Stuttgart. In 1985 he joins the R&D center of Alusuisse-Lonza Services AG, at Neuhausen-am-Rheinfall. In 1993 he joins the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology as Professor and Director of the Powder Technology Laboratory at the Department of Materials science and engineering. His research area includes the synthesis of nanostructured materials based on nanoparticles and the modification of surfaces with nanoparticles using colloidal methods. The fields of application of such materials are medical and biological, (drug delivery, hyperthermia, cell separation, biosensors), electronics and sensors.
John BotsisJohn (Ioannis) Botsis obtained his diplôme in civil engineering at the University of Patras, Greece in 1979. He continued his education at Case Institute of Technology in Cleveland Ohio/USA, where he received his MS and Ph.D. in 1984. After two years at the research center for national defense in Athens he was nominated assistant professor at the University of Illinois in Chicago, associate in 1991 and full professor in 1995. In 1996, he was nominated professor of solids and structural mechanics at the EPFL. At EPFL he teaches mechanics of structures and mechanics of continuous media´ at the bachelors level and Fracture mechanics at the masters and doctoral levels. His research covers the mechanics of solids and structures, fracture mechanics and micromechanics of polymers, metals and their composites as well as biomechanics. He is also actively involved in full-filed optical methods for surface strain measurements as well as internal strain measurements using fiber Bragg grating sensors, aimed at characterizing micromechanics of fracture, residual strains and strain distribution in composite laminates for structural monitoring. Funding for his research comes from the Swiss National Science Foundation, State Secretariat for Education and Research and Swiss industry. He retired on February 28, 2020.
