Photonics plays a fundamental role in many next-generation materials and devices for energy conversion. It has enabled key advances in emerging technologies and must be considered alongside materials science when designing or implementing innovative energy conversion systems. This symposium will provide a forum to discuss research at the intersection of optics, materials, and energy technologies. The main goal is thus to promote interdisciplinary interaction within the wider photonics community and advance on efficient, versatile and sustainable solutions. The topics will span research across multiple scales, from nanoscopic light–matter interactions to optical effects that influence the overall performance of energy conversion devices. Particular emphasis will be placed on the role of photonic phenomena in thin film and nanostructured systems for light absorption and emission, as well as on photonics-based methodologies for their analysis and optimization. By bringing together experimental, theoretical, and engineering perspectives, the symposium aims to highlight current challenges and emerging opportunities in incorporating photonic concepts into energy conversion materials and devices
- Insights on light-driven phenomena in energy materials and devices
- Light management for enhanced performance and stability in light absorbing systems (photovoltaics, photoelectroche
- Photonic strategies applied to energy devices in conventional and alternative environments
- Photon generation and light manipulation for light emitting sources and thermal applications
- Computational modeling for performance prediction and optical optimization
- Characterization of materials and interfaces through optical methods and spectroscopic analysis
Urs Aeberhard received his PhD in theoretical solid state physics in 2008 from ETH Zurich, (Switzerland) for a thesis on a microscopic theory of quantum well solar cells, performed in the Condensed Matter Theory group at Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI). From 2009-2018, he was a postdoc, senior scientist and group leader at the Institute of Energy and Climate Research – Photovoltaics (IEK-5), Forschungszentrum Jülich (Germany), heading the activities in Theory & Multiscale Simulation. In 2013, he stayed as visiting research scholar at the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. Since 2018, he is employed as a senior R&D scientist at Fluxim and as a Guest Lecturer for the simulation of photovoltaic devices at ETH Zurich. Dr. Aeberhard is the developer of pioneering quantum-mechanical simulation approaches for nanostructure-based solar cells and the author of numerous publications on this topic.
Mariano Campoy Quiles´s research is devoted to the understanding and development of solution processed semiconductors for energy and optoelectronic applications. He and his team have built substantial research efforts in two application areas, solar photovoltaic (light to electric) and thermoelectric (heat to electric) energy conversion based on organic and hybrid materials. He studied physics at the Univesity of Santiago de Compostela, obtained his PhD in experimental physics from Imperial College London, and since 2008 he leads his team at the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona.
Vivian FerryMaria Josè Lo FaroI obtained my master degree in physical chemistry at the University of Perugia, in Italy and successively the PhD in chemistry at the Bristol University (2010, UK). After a postdoc at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, I worked at Technology Institute Fundació Privada ASCAMM (2011-2013, Barcelona). Since 2013 I work at the NANOSFUN group at the ICN2, where I lead the research line of sustainable chromogenic and emissive solid materials for energy-efficient devices. In June 2014, I became a co-founder of a Spin-Off company, Futurechromes S. L., aimed to obtain a new generation of advanced photochromic materials for smart windows and eyewear products, while in 2022 I co-founded Distinkt SL, to exploit and commercialize light-responsive luminescent security inks. Since January 2020, I am part of the editorial board of the peer-reviewed journal Dyes and Pigments.
Philipp Tockhorn