The LEAPS General Assembly elected Prof. Bernd Rech as the new LEAPS Vice Chair.
Professor Bernd Rech will begin his term in January 2026, joining Prof. Thomas Fuerer (European XFEL), the LEAPS Chair 2026, and Prof. Jakub Szlachetko (SOLARIS), the outgoing LEAPS Chair.
Prof. Bernd Rech has been the Scientific Director of Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB) since 2019 and Vice-President for the Helmholtz Research Field Energy since 2023. He previously led HZB’s Silicon Photovoltaics Institute, focusing on high-efficiency thin-film and tandem solar cells, and was spokesperson for the Helmholtz Renewable Energies program (2008–2020).
Prof. Rech studied physics at Heidelberg University and RWTH Aachen, where he earned his doctorate, and has been a professor at Technische Universität Berlin since 2007. He serves on numerous advisory boards and committees, including the Institute for Solar Energy Research in Hameln, and is a member of the German Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech).
LEAPS wishes Prof. Bernd Rech a productive and impactful term as incoming LEAPS Vice Chair.
