Michael GraetzelProfessor of Physical Chemistry at the Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) Michael Graetzel, PhD, directs there the Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces. He pioneered research on energy and electron transfer reactions in mesoscopic systems and their use to generate electricity and fuels from sunlight. He invented mesoscopic injection solar cells, one key embodiment of which is the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC). DSCs are meanwhile commercially produced at the multi-MW-scale and created a number of new applications in particular as lightweight power supplies for portable electronic devices and in building integrated photovoltaics. They engendered perovskite solar cells (PSCs) which turned into the most exciting break-through in the history of photovoltaics. He received a number of prestigious awards, of which the most recent ones include the RusNANO Prize, the Zewail Prize in Molecular Science, the Global Energy Prize, the Millennium Technology Grand Prize, the Marcel Benoist Prize, the King Faisal International Science Prize, the Einstein World Award of Science and the Balzan Prize. He is a Fellow of several learned societies and holds eleven honorary doctor’s degrees from European and Asian Universities. His over 1500 publications have received some 220’000 citations with an h-factor of 218 (SI-Web of Science) demonstrating the strong impact of his scientific work.
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.
Mohammad Khaja NazeeruddinDr. Md. K. Nazeeruddin received M.Sc. and Ph. D. in inorganic chemistry from Osmania University, Hyderabad, India. He joined as a Lecturer in Deccan College of Engineering and Technology, Osmania University in 1986, and subsequently, moved to Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar, as a Research Associate. He was awarded the Government of Indias fellowship in 1987 for study abroad. After one year postdoctoral stay with Prof. Graetzel at Swiss federal institute of technology Lausanne (E P F L), he joined the same institute as a Senior Scientist. His current research focuses on Dye-sensitized solar cells, Hydrogen production, Light-emitting diodes and Chemical sensors. He has published more than 380 peer-reviewed papers, ten book chapters, and inventor of 40 patents. The high impact of his work has been recognized with invitations to speak at over 80 international conferences, including the MRS Fall (USA, 2006) and Spring 2011 Meetings, GORDON conference (2014), and has been nominated to the OLLA International Scientific Advisory Board. He appeared in the ISI listing of most cited chemists, and has more than 33'500 citations with an h-index of 89. He is teaching "Functional Materials" course at EPFL, and Korea University; directing, and managing several industrial, national, and European Union projects on Hydrogen energy, Photovoltaics (DSC), and Organic Light Emitting Diodes. He was awarded EPFL Excellence prize in 1998 and 2006, Brazilian FAPESP Fellowship in 1999, Japanese Government Science & Technology Agency Fellowship, in 1998, Government of India National Fellowship in 1987-1988. Recently he has been appointed as World Class University (WCU) professor by the Korea University, Jochiwon, Korea (http://dses.korea.ac.kr/eng/sub01_06_2.htm) and Adjunct Professor by the King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Marilyne AndersenMarilyne Andersen est professeure ordinaire en technologies durables de la construction et dirige le Laboratoire Performance Intégrée au Design (LIPID) qu'elle a fondé en automne 2010. Elle a été Doyenne de la Faculté de l'Environnement Naturel, Architectural et Construit (ENAC) de l'EPFL de 2013 à 2018 et est la Directrice Académique du Smart Living Lab à Fribourg. Elle co-dirige également le Student Kreativity and Innovation Laboratory (SKIL) à l'ENAC.Avant de rejoindre l'EPFL, elle était professeure assistante puis associée (tenure-track) dans le Building Technology Group du MIT, au sein du Département d'Architecture, où elle a fondé et dirigé le MIT Daylighting Lab depuis 2004. Elle a aussi été professeure invitée à la Singapore University of Technology and Design en 2019. Marilyne Andersen détient un Master ès sciences en physique et s'est spécialisée dans l'éclairage naturel durant sa thèse dans la physique du bâtiment à l'EPFL au Laboratoire d'énergie solaire et de physique du bâtiment (LESO) ainsi qu'en tant que chercheuse invitée au Building Technologies Department du Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory en Californie. Ses recherches se situent à l'interface entre sciences, ingénierie et architecture avec une attention spécifique sur l'impact de la lumière naturelle sur les occupants d'un bâtiment. Avec un focus sur les questions de confort, de perception et de santé et leurs implications énergétiques, ces efforts de recherche visent à une intégration plus profonde de la performance lumineuse et du confort intérieur dans le processus de conception, grâce à de nouvelles synergies avec d'autres domaines scientifiques, comme la chronobiologie et les neurosciences ainsi que la psychophysique ou l'informatique et l'imagerie digitale. Elle s'appuie sur ces recherches pour les étendre à la pratique architecturale à travers la startup OCULIGHT dynamics qu'elle a co-fondée, et qui offre des services spécialisés en éclairage naturel avec un accent particulier sur les effets psycho-physiologiques de la lumière naturelle sur les occupants d'un bâtiment. Elle est l'auteure de plus de 200 articles référés publiés dans des revues scientifiques et lors de conférences internationales, ainsi que la lauréate de plusieurs bourses et prix dont: le Daylight Award for Research (2016), onze prix et distinctions pour ses publications (2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021) dont le Taylor Technical Talent Award 2009 décerné par la Illuminating Engineering Society, le 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award (2009), le Mitsui Career Development Professorship au MIT (2008) et le prix EPFL de la Fondation Chorafas en durabilité attribué pour sa thèse (2005). Ses travaux de recherche ou d'enseignement ont été soutenus par des organisations professionnelles, institutionnelles et industrielles tels que les Fonds National pour la Recherche Scientifique (en Suisse et aux USA), la fondation Velux, le programme Européen Horizon 2020, la Boston Society of Architects, la MIT Energy Initiative et InnoSuisse. Elle a été la directrice et responsable académique de l'équipe suisse et son projet NeighborHub, qui a gagné la compétition U.S. Solar Decathlon 2017 avec 8 podiums sur 10 épreuves. Elle est membre du Conseil de la Fondation LafargeHolcim pour la construction durable et dirige son Comité Académique. Elle est également membre du conseil éditorial de la revue scientifique Building and Environment chez Elsevier ainsi que des revues LEUKOS (de la Illuminating Engineering Society) et Buildings and Cities chez Taylor et Francis. Elle est Experte pour le Conseil d'Innovation InnoSuisse ainsi que membre fondatrice et membre du Conseil de la Fondation Culture du Bâti (CUB). Elle est aussi membre fondatrice de la Daylight Academy et membre active de plusieurs comités de l'Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) et de la Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE).
