Professor at the École Polytechnique de Lausanne, Michael Grätzel directs there the Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces. He pioneered the use of mesoscopic materials in energy conversion systems, in particular photovoltaic cells, lithium ion batteries and photo-electrochemical devices for the splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen by sunlight. He discovered a new type of solar cell based on dye sensitized nanocrystalline oxide films. Author of over 1000 publications, two books and inventor of more than 50 patents, his work has been cited over 148’000 times (h-index 176) making him one of the 10 most highly cited chemists in the world.
His most recent awards include the 2012 Albert Einstein World Award of Science, 2011 Gutenberg Research Award, 2011 Paul Karrer Gold Medal and the 2010 Millenium Technology Grand Prize. He was selected by the Scientific American as one of the 50 top researchers in the world. He has been the Mary Upton Visiting Professor at Cornell University and a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the National University of Singapore. He was an Invited Professor at the University of Berkeley, the École Nationale de Chachan (Paris) and Delft University of Technology. He is a member of the Swiss Chemical Society as well as of the European Academy of Science, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and was elected honorary member of the Société Vaudoise des Sciences Naturelles and the Bulgarian Academy of Science.
Moderation: Professor Dr. Bärbel Friedrich