Dr. Sebastian Gatz (45) received his diploma degree at the Technical University Munich in 2006. From 2007 to 2012 he was a research associate at the Institute for Solar Energy Research Hamelin ISFH, where he set a solar cell world record for efficiency for industrial PERC solar cells in 2011. In 2012 he received his doctorate in natural sciences from Leibniz University Hannover with his thesis on "Analysis and optimization of industrial type rear-passivated silicon solar cells". As of 2012, Sebastian Gatz works as a project manager at SolarWorld Innovation and was responsible for transferring the new PERC solar cell technology from the laboratory to industrial production. From 2013-2016 he worked at Manz AG as head of development in silicon photovoltaics and electronics. Here, vacuum and laser processes have been successfully implemented in various industrial applications in the solar and consumer electronics industries. At Meyer Burger AG, Sebastian Gatz worked from 2016 to 2019 as Head of Microsystems development for R&D and pilot systems. Sebastian Gatz has been Vice President of the Photovoltaics Business Area at VON ARDENNE GmbH from 2019 until 2024. Since January 2025 he is Vice President Renewable Energies & Strategic Partnerships. VON ARDENNE GmbH is a German
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